# The U.S. Owns Palmyra Atoll - What Other Funky Real Estate Do We Own? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376 "2005-04-21T05:40:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PETERFI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PETERFI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PETERFI)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/1 "2005-04-21T05:40:22Z")
In a recent post on the Fishing with Corn or Maize thread Sequent brought up an interesting point, that there might be parts of the Territorial U.S. where certain laws do not apply: > [@Sequent](#): > > Yeah, yeah, yeah…the other herb to which I alluded is legal on several unincorporated, uninhabited stretches of sand in the Pacific…like [this place](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/lq.html). So there. > > Sorry, I’m just feeling a little persecuted on this, the 20th day of the 4th month of the year. But I’m feeling much better now. Without making you follow the thread, the link takes you to the CIA World Factbook which describes the “Country” of Palmyra Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa. Its pretty small but we own it. The Kingdom of Hawaii took it over in 1862, but somehow, when Hawaii became a state, Palmyra did not get included. So here’s the question for the Straight Dope American Geography experts out there. How much of the non-States does the United States actually own or control? What laws do or don’t apply there? And as U.S. citizens, what rights or protections do we or don’t we have? Is it free for all time as Sequent suggests? Or is there some rule of law at work? And while we’re in Oceana - who is the best Tuna? No, scratch that. That’s too much for one question. 🙂 Peter, Founder and Chief Satirist [The International School of Weblog Repair and Home for Frisky Women](http://thepeterfiles.blogspot.com/2005/04/you-too-can-enter-world-of-internet.html) ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/2 "2005-04-21T05:52:35Z")
[Kingman Reef](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kq.html) is even smaller. As for what you can & can’t do, I’m pretty sure that U.S. federal law applies to all territories, states and non-states included. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/3 "2005-04-21T11:46:03Z")
A list that appears to be comprehensive: [http://www.doi.gov/oia/Firstpginfo/islandfactsheet.htm](http://www.doi.gov/oia/Firstpginfo/islandfactsheet.htm) Click on the links on that page for more information about each island. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/4 "2005-04-21T12:16:21Z")
The US owns one acre of ground at Runnymede in the UK for the JFK memorial. The inscription there says, “'This acre of English ground was given to the United States of America by the people of Britain in memory of John F. Kennedy.” [See this](http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/runnymede/history.html). I would assume, though, that the area is pretty much run under UK law and since no one actually lives there, it’d be rare for anything to come up. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/5 "2005-04-21T12:19:01Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I would assume, though, that the area is pretty much run under UK law and since no one actually lives there, it’d be rare for anything to come up. Yes, it’ll simply be that the landowner of that plot is the USA (or more probably the USAF or similar). No different to them owning property overseas. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/6 "2005-04-21T12:46:18Z")
[Navassa Island](http://members.aol.com/davidpb4/navassa.html). A fascinating little place. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/7 "2005-04-21T16:26:30Z")
Read “And the Sea Will Tell” by Vincent Bugliosi for a fascinating tale of life, death, and justice on Palymra Atoll. See [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=286521) for a good primer on the legal situation in US territories. Finally, see [here](http://www.answers.com/topic/political-divisions-of-the-united-states) for a list of federal territories and whether they’re incorporated. Lo and behold, Palmyra is the only one which is! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/8 "2005-04-21T16:43:59Z")
I think a parcel of Pointe du Hoc in Normandy has been deeded as American soil. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/9 "2005-04-21T17:17:25Z")
Don’t we technically own the property where an embassy is situated? Under international law, an embassy is considered sovereign territory of the country. It’s hard to visualize that being the case without the country owning the property. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-owns-palmyra-atoll-what-other-funky-real-estate-do-we-own/300376/10 "2005-04-21T19:24:55Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Don’t we technically own the property where an embassy is situated? Under international law, an embassy is considered sovereign territory of the country. It’s hard to visualize that being the case without the country owning the property. See **matt\_mcl** ’s islands with split sovereignty thread, where this identical question was raised, and **Cliffy** resolved it with an exceptionally clear statement of international law (which, of course, doesn’t usually lend itself to anything remotely like “exceptionally clear” statements).