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Kingman reef
Uninhabited reef, less than 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), central Pacific. Submerged and partially exposed coral reefs form the shape of a triangle and surround a central lagoon.
The outer reef is approximately 12.4 miles long on the south face, 7.5 miles long on the northeastern face, and 8.7 miles long on the northeastern face. Lagoon depths range from approximately 50 to 250 feet. Only three feet in elevation, Kingman Reef lies southwest of Hawaii, one of the Line Islands, 1,075 mi (1,730 km) SW of Honolulu.
The first recorded western contact at Kingman Reef was by an American seaman, Captain Fanning, in 1798. The reef was named after Captain Kingman, who visited in 1853. The United States annexed the reef in 1922 and in 1934 delegated jurisdiction to the Navy.
Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii to American Samoa flights during the 1930s. Formerly an airport on the route from Honolulu to Pago Pago.
In 1981 a group went and visited the reefs and set up an amature radio expedition. They set up base camp on Kingman reef 1 meter above sea and assembled a radio tower that sent and recieved over 15000 radio contacts during their 4 day stay on the land mass, that consisted of , a plie of clam shells.
Kingman Reef is one of the most pristine coral reef atoll ecosystems in the Pacific. Crystal clear oceanic waters and vibrant coral reefs support a spectacular diversity of corals and other marine invertebrates, algae, fishes, marine mammals, sea turtles and migratory seabirds. Three coral rubble land spits are found atop the estern reefs providing resting sites for migratory shorebirds and seabirds.
