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The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There is no flora on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support an abundant and diverse marine fauna. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef were designated a National Wildlife Refuge.
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On 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18 January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of Kingman Reef out to the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea limit.
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Country
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Surface Area: 1 sq km
Population: uninhabited
Located in: Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa
Independent since: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior
Flag (image): 
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