The atoll is closed to the public and travel to the island is not allowed
Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926 The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948 The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons Munitions destruction is now complete Cleanup and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005 Toxic waste from both operations is buried on the island
The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options, in the interim Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force
Tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island Akau and East Island Hikina are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference some low-growing vegetation Highest point: Summit Peak, at 5 meters
Languages: English official, and majority everyday language, French official for some purposes, Jèrriais a variety of Norman language, spoken in country districts Portuguese is widely spoken
There is currently no economic activity on Johnston Atoll
Jersey has an abundance of excellent restaurants 4 covering most tastes In particular a lot of French, Italian and Portuguese styles Chinese, Indian and Thai are well represented too Only one each of Greek and Sushi and one Mexican, located in Colomberie or Iranian though There are a few BYO restaurants example the Dicq Shack Fast food chains, such as McDonalds are in town, although there is only 1 McDonalds and 1 Starbuckslocated at the Airport
There are occasionally themed "food weeks" celebrating the different cultures in the Island Every October for a little over a month there is a Tennerfest 5 where you can explore many of the world-class restaurants
Vegetarians will face a limited menu except in one or two very good vegetarian restaurants
The minimum age for drinking alcohol is 18 years For such a small place there are a lot of bars and quite a few different clubs Despite duty on alcohol being lower than the UK most popular bars set their prices close to what you'd expect in London Normal pub closing time is 11PM and most clubs have to be closed by 2AM there is no "drinking-up-time" There are a few bars with alfresco areas including one with a view over the bay toward Elizabeth castle Most of the working-men's pubs became trendy wine bars in the early nineties so there's not much chance of finding a pool table in town There are two bars which sell Absinthe
There is quite a good music scene, in part due to licensing regulations which allow some bars to stay open till 1AM if they have live entertainment The bars with a late licence never have a cover charge but all the clubs do
The main town of St Helier is compact enough that you can wander from pub to pub and club to club quite easily
There are no public accommodations on Johnston Atoll
