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The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. The islands could be located anywhere, so long as they were not occupied and not within the jurisdiction of other governments. It also empowered the President of the United States to use the military to protect such interests. - Whenever any citizen of the United States discovers a deposit of guano on any island, rock, or key, not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other Government, and not occupied by the citizens of any other Government, and takes peaceable possession thereof, and occupies the same, such island, rock, or key may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as appertaining to the United States. (first section of Guano Islands Act)
The Guano Islands Act is currently embodied in federal statutes as U.S. Code, Title 48, Chapter 8, Sections 1411-1419.
1 Background
In the early 19th century, guano came to be prized as an agricultural fertilizer. In 1855, the U.S. learned of rich guano deposits on islands in the Pacific Ocean. Congress passed the Guano Islands Act to take advantage of these deposits.
The act specifically allowed the islands to be considered a possession of the U.S., but it also provided that the U.S. was not obliged to retain possession after the guano was exhausted. However, it did not specify what the status of the territory was after it was abandoned by private U.S. interests.
This is the beginning of the concept of insular areas in U.S. territories. Up to this time, any territory acquired by the U.S. was considered to have become an integral part of the country unless changed by treaty, and to eventually have the opportunity to become a state of the Union. With insular areas, land could be held by the federal government without the prospect of it ever becoming a state in the Union. Such insular areas are also known as unincorporated territory.
More than 50 islands were eventually claimed. Of those remaining under U.S. control are Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Howland Island, Kingman Reef, Johnston AtollJohnston Atoll is a 2. 8 km2 atoll in the North Pacific Ocean at 16 45 N, 169 30 W, about one-third of the way from Hawai'i to the Marshall Islands. Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging. North Isl, and Midway AtollMidway Atoll (also known as Midway Island or Midway Islands is a 6. 2 square kilometer atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean (near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago) at 28°13' N, 177°22' W, about one-third of the way between Honolulu and. Others are no longer considered U.S. TerritoryThe myriad political divisions of the United States include (but are not limited to) states, territories, counties, townships, cities, the federal district, possessions and insular areas, embassies and consulates, Indian reservations, military installatio. Possession of Navassa IslandNavassa Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States administered by the U. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, a private claim has been advanced against the island, and it is also clai is currently disputed with HaitiHaiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; the Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti. A former French colony, it was one of the first countries of the Americas, after the Unit. In, 19711971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). Events January January 1 British divorce Reform Act comes into force January 2 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster. Janua, the US and HondurasHonduras is a nation of northern Central America, bordered to the west by Guatemala and El Salvador, to the south by Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea. The nation of Belize (formerly "British Ho signed a treaty recognizing Honduran sovereignty over the Swan IslandsThe Swan Islands a possesion of Honduras, are positioned 97 mi (156 km) north of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea, latitude 17 degrees North and longitude 83 degress West. The Swan Islands consist of 3 islands, Great Swan, Little Swan, and Booby Cay. The isl.
