Johnston Island, Hawaii (HI), United States

Facts & Statistics
Place Name	Johnston Island
Place Status (Type)	atoll
Location	Hawaii, United States, North America
Latitude	unknown
Longitude	unknown

Johnston Island , atoll, central Pacific, c.700 mi/1,100 km SW of Honolulu; c.3,000 ft/900 m long and c.600 ft/183 m wide. It was discovered by Americans in 1796 (or the British in 1807) and claimed by the U.S. in 1858. It was not, however, included in Hawaii statehood, but became an uninc. territory of the U.S. The U.S. Navy took over the atoll in 1934 and used it as a seaplane and submarine base during World War II. Operational control was given to the Defense Nuclear Agency in 1958, and the U.S. conducted a series of high altitude nuclear tests here during the 1950s and 1960s. It is still designated as a standby site should the U.S. resume testing. The Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS), a facility for the stockpiling and incineration of chemical weapons, is located here. The U.S. Army has used the island as a site for the destruction of chemical weapons since 1990. A bird reservation since 1923, the atoll was declared a Pacific Isls. Natl. Wildlife Refuge in 1974.