The Phoenix Islands, also known as Rawaki, are a group of eight ring-shaped islands and two underwater coral reefs. These islands are located east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. They are part of the Republic of Kiribati. Together, the islands cover an area of 28 square kilometers (11 square miles). The only island with commercial importance is Canton Island, also called Abariringa. The other islands are Enderbury, Rawaki (formerly Phoenix), Manra (formerly Sydney), Birnie, McKean, Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner), and Orona (formerly Hull).

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, created in 2008, is one of the largest protected areas in the world. It is home to about 120 types of coral and more than 500 types of fish. The Phoenix Islands are not home to many people, except for a few families who live on Canton Island.

Historically, the Phoenix Islands were considered part of the Gilbert Islands group, sometimes called the Kingsmill Islands.

Geographically, Baker Island and Howland Island, two areas not part of any U.S. state, are located north of the Phoenix Islands. These islands could be grouped with the Phoenix Islands. However, politically and for statistical purposes, Baker and Howland are classified as part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.

The United States once claimed all the Phoenix Islands under the Guano Islands Act of 1856. When Kiribati became an independent nation in 1979, the United States and Kiribati signed the Treaty of Tarawa. This agreement allowed the United States to give up its claims to the Phoenix Islands, except for Baker and Howland, which remained under U.S. control.

The Phoenix Islands were named around the 1840s, likely inspired by an island in the group that was previously called Phoenix Island. This name may have come from the frequent presence of whaling ships named Phoenix in the nearby waters.

The Phoenix Islands were the site of the last major colonial effort by the British Empire during the late 1930s, through the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme.

Geography, flora and fauna

Phoenix Islands (Kiribati)

Submerged coral reefs

U.S. territories to the north

Kanton Island (also called Abariringa) is the farthest north island in the Phoenix group and the only one with people living there. It is a narrow strip of land 9 km (3 sq mi) long, enclosing a lagoon of about 40 km (15 sq mi). Kanton is mostly bare coral covered with herbs, grasses, low shrubs, and a few trees. Its lagoon has 153 known species of marine life, including sharks, tuna, stingrays, and eels. Land animals include at least 23 bird species, lizards, rats, hermit crabs, and turtles.

In the mid-20th century, Kanton had an important trans-Pacific airport and refueling station called Langton. Its importance declined in the late 1950s with the introduction of long-range jet aircraft. After a short time as a U.S. missile-tracking station, the airport was no longer used. However, today, the airport still exists. In 2016, it was home to a small military presence, with 20 people living there, mostly in buildings built during the island’s occupation by Great Britain and the United States between 1936 and 1976.

Enderbury is a low, flat, small coral atoll located 63 km (34 nmi; 39 mi) east-southeast of Kanton. Its lagoon is small, covering only a small part of the island’s area. Herbs, grasses, morning-glory vines, and a few trees form the main plant life on the island. Known animals include birds, rats, and a species of beetle. Enderbury was heavily mined for guano in the late 1800s. After the last four residents left in 1942 during World War II, the island has had little human impact.

Birnie Island is a small, flat coral island about 20 hectares (49 acres) in area, measuring 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long by 0.5 km (0.3 mi) wide. It has a tiny lagoon that has almost dried up. A nesting place for seabirds, Birnie has no trees and is covered with low shrubs and grass. Unlike most other Phoenix Islands, Birnie was not worked for guano or otherwise used by humans. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975.

McKean Island is the northwesternmost island of the Phoenix group. It has an area of 57 hectares (140 acres), with no fresh water or trees, but it has a very salty lagoon at its center. Covered with low herbs and grasses, McKean is a sanctuary for the world’s largest nesting population of lesser frigatebirds (Fregata ariel), with up to 85,000 birds. It was worked for guano in the mid-1800s but was abandoned by 1870, and no further use has been made of it

History of the islands

Evidence shows that Howland Island may have been home to an ancient settlement that possibly included nearby islands such as Rawaki, Canton, Manra, and Orona. This settlement may have been a single group of people living on several islands close to each other. Archaeological findings on Manra and Orona suggest that two different groups of people lived there—one from eastern Polynesia and one from Micronesia. Life on these remote islands was likely very difficult, which may have caused these people to leave or disappear, similar to what happened on other islands like Christmas Island and Pitcairn.

These ancient settlements were likely established around 1000 BC, when eastern Melanesians traveled north across the ocean. Later, Polynesians settled the area, as shown by artifacts found in archaeological digs. These items, such as basalt tools, came from places like Samoa, the Marquesas, and the Cook Islands and were brought to the Phoenix and Line Islands between the 12th and 14th centuries AD.

In 1568, Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira sailed between the Line Islands and the Phoenix Islands without seeing land. He later discovered an island he called "Isla de Jesus," which is likely one of the islands in the Ellice group.

Exploration of the mid-Pacific and Micronesia began in the early 19th century when whalers from Europe and the Americas arrived. Many whaling ships visited the area in the 1820s, leading to the discovery and mapping of the islands between 1821 and 1825. These islands were among the last in the Pacific to be fully explored and charted, probably because they were small, low, and isolated.

It is clear that 19th-century whalers discovered most of Kiribati in modern times. However, it is hard to confirm exactly who discovered each island because of conflicting reports and inaccurate maps. In 1828, Jeremiah N. Reynolds, a U.S. Navy officer, wrote that maps of the Pacific were incomplete and based on unreliable accounts from whalers.

Reynolds’ report led to the United States Exploring Expedition in the 1840s, which included the ships USS Peacock and USS Flying Fish. The expedition was led by William Hudson.

Reports and later studies about who discovered the islands are unclear, partly because the islands had many different names. In 1828, Reynolds compiled a list of islands from American whalers, including at least 13 islands in the Phoenix group. However, the coordinates he recorded did not always match modern ones.

Other reports added confusion. For example, French explorer Louis Tromelin claimed to have found Phoenix Island in 1823 at coordinates 3°42’S, 170°43’W, while mapmaker John Arrowsmith placed it 12 minutes further north. Another report from 1823 placed Sydney Island at 4°26’30”, 171°18’. In the same year, James Coffin recorded "Enderby’s Island" at 3°10’, 171°10’.

The United States Exploring Expedition was the first to use the name "Phoenix" for the entire island group. Before this, the name referred to only one island.

McKean Island was the first in the Phoenix group to be discovered and named. It was found on May 28, 1794, by British captain Henry Barber of the ship Arthur. He named it Drummond’s Island and marked its location at 3°40’S, 176°51’W. Later, it was called Arthur Island and recorded at 3°30’S, 176°0’W. In 1840, Charles Wilkes of the United States Exploring Expedition mapped it and renamed it McKean Island after a crew member.

Captain James Coffin of the British whaler Transit is credited with discovering Enderbury Island in 1823 and naming it "Enderby’s Island" after a London whaling company. However, Coffin did not mention Enderbury Island in later reports.

Birnie and Sydney Islands were discovered in 1823 by a "Captain Emmett," possibly the captain of the British whaler Sydney Packet or a different individual. These islands may have been named after the ship or its owner, the London firm Alexander Birnie & Co. French explorer Louis Tromelin also found Sydney Island, likely in 1823 or 1828, and mapped Phoenix Island.

In 1825, two islands with coordinates near Canton Island were called "Mary Island" and "Mary Balcoutts Island." Reynolds’ report also mentions "Barney’s Island" near Canton, which may have been named by Captain Joseph Barney of the whaler Equator. Canton Island was later named in 1872 by Commander Richard W. Meade of the USS Narragansett, after the whaling ship Canton, which wrecked there in 1854.

On January 8, 1824, Captain Kemin of an unnamed ship discovered what may have been Gardner Island and McKean Island, naming them the "Kemin Islands." In 1825, Captain Joshua Gardner of the whaler Ganges discovered an island at 4°20’ S, 174°22’ W, and named it "Gardner’s Island." His discovery was reported in the Nantucket Enquirer in 1827. Some sources credit Joshua Coffin, who sailed on the Ganges, with the discovery and name.

During the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842), Charles Wilkes confirmed the existence of Gardner’s Island based on earlier reports.

French explorer Louis Tromelin, aboard the corvette Bayonnaise, discovered Phoenix Island (and Sydney Island) around 1828 (or possibly 1823). He placed the island at 3°42’S, 189°17’E and noted it appeared on Norie’s map. Reynolds’ report also mentions an island called "Phenix" near these coordinates. The origin of the name "Phoenix" is unclear, but it may be linked to whaling ships named Phoenix.

Little is known about the discovery of Hull Island, but it was confirmed to be inhabited by the United States Exploring Expedition in 1841. It was named by Charles Wilkes after Commodore Isaac Hull.

The reef was discovered in