Does anyone live on Jarvis Island?

Jarvis Island was occupied between 1858 and 1879 by laborers mining guano for the United States. Guano is used as a fertilizer, and this was in great demand during this time. The United States abandoned Jarvis Island after nearly depleting its guano reserves, and in 1889 it was annexed by Britain. in 1906 Britain leased the Island to the Pacific Phosphate Company of London and Melbourne. There is no record of any human inhabitants.

In 1935 the United States claimed Jarvis Island once again; Britain did not react. In a supposed effort to utilize all American territories to the fullest potential, Jarvis along with Baker and Howland Islands were colonized. This was nearly continuous until 1942 when a Japanese submarine shelled the Island. All colonists were subsequently evacuated.

Sometime between July 1957 and December 1958 Jarvis Island was surveyed for the International Geophysical Year. It was occupied for some of this time, and scientific observations were recorded.

Since this time Jarvis Island has been uninhabited. It is visited every one to two years by the United States Coast Guard; the Fish and Wildlife Service usually tags along.