Editing Palmyra Atoll (section)

== Geography ==
The atoll consists of an extensive [[reef]], three shallow [[lagoon]]s, and a number of sand and reef-rock [[islet]]s and bars covered with vegetation—mostly [[coconut]] palms, ''[[Scaevola (plant)|Scaevola]]'', and tall ''[[Pisonia]]'' trees.

Many of the islets are connected. Sand Island and the two Home Islets in the west; Quail, Whippoorwill, and Bunker Islands in the north; and Eastern, Fern, Bird, and Barren Islands in the east are not. The largest island is Cooper Island in the north, followed by Kaula Island in the south. The northern arch of islets is formed by Strawn Island, Cooper Island (or Cooper-Meng Island since the original Cooper and Meng Islands were joined in 1940), Aviation Island, Quail Island, Whippoorwill Island, Bunker Island, followed in the east by Eastern Island, Papala Island and Pelican Island, and in the south by Bird Island, Holei Island, Engineer Island, Tanager Island, Marine Island, Kaula Island, Paradise Island, the Home Islets, and Sand Island (clockwise).

Palmyra Atoll is in the [[Samoa Time Zone]] (UTC−11:00), the same [[time zone]] as [[American Samoa]], [[Midway Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]] and [[Jarvis Island]].
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120px" class="center">
File:Palmyra Atoll 2010-03-18, EO-1 ALI bands 5-4-3-1, 15m resolution.png|alt=A satellite image|Palmyra Atoll, 2010 satellite image
File:Strawn Island at Palmyra Atoll NWR (5123999194).jpg|alt=Coconut trees overlooking a small inlet|Coconut palms on Strawn Island at Palmyra Atoll
</gallery>

=== Incorporated in the United States ===
In [[Insular Cases|''The Insular Cases'']], the [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] held [[Territories of the United States#Incorporated vs. unincorporated territories|incorporated territories]] to be integral parts of the United States, as opposed to mere possessions. The incorporated Palmyra Atoll is the [[List of countries by southernmost point|southernmost point]] of the incorporated United States, with its southernmost shore at 5°52'15" N [[latitude]]. U.S.-controlled territories such as [[American Samoa]] (and the southernmost place, [[Rose Atoll]]) are farther south, but they are not incorporated territories.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/mnm_roseatoll.html |title=Rose Atoll Marine National Monument |website=Noaa.gov |access-date=30 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117183245/http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/mnm_roseatoll.html |archive-date=2018-01-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/American-Samoa |contribution=American Samoa |access-date= 30 January 2018|title=American Samoa &#124; Culture, History, & People }}</ref>

=== Climate ===
Average annual rainfall is approximately {{convert|175|in|abbr=on}} per year. Temperatures average {{convert|85|°F}} year round. The atoll has nearly the highest oceanicity index (i.e., the degree to which its climate is affected by the sea) and one of the lowest diurnal and annual temperature variations of any place on Earth. [[Nauru]] has more consistent nighttime temperatures with every month recording 77&nbsp;°F (25 C) average, as well as more evenly spread precipitation.

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|collapsed = Y
| location = Palmyra Atoll
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
|Jan high F = 84.0
|Feb high F = 83.0
|Mar high F = 84.0
|Apr high F = 85.0
|May high F = 85.0
|Jun high F = 85.0
|Jul high F = 85.0
|Aug high F = 85.0
|Sep high F = 86.0
|Oct high F = 85.0
|Nov high F = 85.0
|Dec high F = 85.0

|Jan mean F = 80.0
|Feb mean F = 79.0
|Mar mean F = 80.0
|Apr mean F = 81.0
|May mean F = 81.0
|Jun mean F = 81.0
|Jul mean F = 81.0
|Aug mean F = 80.0
|Sep mean F = 81.0
|Oct mean F = 81.0
|Nov mean F = 80.0
|Dec mean F = 81.0

|Jan low F = 76.0
|Feb low F = 75.0
|Mar low F = 76.0
|Apr low F = 77.0
|May low F = 77.0
|Jun low F = 77.0
|Jul low F = 77.0
|Aug low F = 76.0
|Sep low F = 77.0
|Oct low F = 77.0
|Nov low F = 76.0
|Dec low F = 77.0
|year low F=

|rain colour = green
|Jan rain inch = 13.3
|Feb rain inch = 8.5
|Mar rain inch = 9.8
|Apr rain inch = 7.3
|May rain inch = 12.1
|Jun rain inch = 16.6
|Jul rain inch = 17.1
|Aug rain inch = 20.1
|Sep rain inch = 10.9
|Oct rain inch = 10.0
|Nov rain inch = 14.3
|Dec rain inch = 20.3

|Jan rain days = 14.5
|Feb rain days = 12.3
|Mar rain days = 15.3
|Apr rain days = 11.8
|May rain days = 17.2
|Jun rain days = 17.9
|Jul rain days = 20.2
|Aug rain days = 19.8
|Sep rain days = 13.6
|Oct rain days = 14.3
|Nov rain days = 14.5
|Dec rain days = 16.5
|source 1 = Weatherbase.com<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=158319&cityname=Palmyra-Atoll-Palmyra-Atoll-Oceania
|title = Climate: Palmyra Atoll
|publisher = Weatherbase.com
|access-date = July 28, 2020
}}</ref>
}}

=== Official names ===

Although Palmyra is a [[coral atoll]] with several [[islet]]s, not a single island, it has been called ''Palmyra Island'' since its discovery in 1802.<ref name=sowlediscovery /> More recently it is for some purposes called ''Palmyra Atoll''. The name of the [[United States territories|federal territory]] retained by [[United States Congress|Congress]] since 1959 is ''Palmyra Island'',<ref name="omnibus"/> but the official name of the [[National Wildlife Refuge]] within the territory is ''Palmyra Atoll'', as is the corresponding division of the [[Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument]].<ref name="monument"/> Formal deeds, leases and federal orders for land there call it ''Palmyra Island''.<ref name="recordation"/> Further, the islets on the atoll are also named ''island'', such as Kaula Island, Cooper Island, and others.<ref name="rock"/> The biggest single island is Cooper Island, located on the lagoon's north side.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Struckhoff |first1=Matthew A. |last2=Orazio |first2=Carl E. |last3=Tillitt |first3=Donald E. |last4=Shaver |first4=David K. |last5=Papoulias |first5=Diana M. |date=March 2018 |title=Mapping elemental contamination on Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |language=en |volume=128 |pages=97–105 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.065|doi-access=free |pmid=29571418 |bibcode=2018MarPB.128...97S }}</ref>

[[File:Palmyra atoll 91.jpg|alt=A navigation chart of the atoll|thumb|left|500px|upright|Palmyra Atoll&nbsp;– NOAA Nautical Chart (1:47,500), with many named features.]]
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