Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa. About 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall. Incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered from Washington, DC by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior. First visited by Americans in 1802, and later claimed by the Hawaiian kingdom (1862) and Great Britain (1889), it was annexed by the United States in 1898. Palmyra was under the jurisdiction of the city and county of Honolulu until Hawaii was granted statehood in 1959. The atoll is now under the control of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.