Palmyra Atoll

There can be few places on earth more remote than Palmyra Atoll. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the nearest continent is almost 5,400 km (3,400 miles) to the north-east. Despite its isolation it has not been without drama, having had pirate treasure buried on it in 1816 and a bizarre murder in 1974. It has no permanent population nor has there been in its history.  This did not not stop Commander Nichols of HMS Cormorant claiming it for the UK in 1889. He was unaware of a prior claim made by Hawaii. Today Palmyra is administered as a National Wildlife Refuge by the USA.

These images were taken by Christophe Bailhache from The Ocean Agency and use technology developed by Panedia for the XL Catlin Seaview Survey.

 

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