Pearl and Hermes Atoll

Other names: Holoikauaua

Geography: An oval reef with several internal reefs and seven sandbar/islands

Distance from Honolulu: 1,210 miles

Highest point: 10 feet, sometimes awash

Type of island: Atoll

Acreage dry land: 80 acres

Coral reef within 13.8 miles: 193,834 acres

History: Discovered in 1822 when the whaling ships Pearl and Hermes went aground. The whalers built another boat out of the lumber from the wrecks and sailed it to Honolulu. A century later, pearl oysters were found, and a brief industry developed, with Filipino divers collecting tons of shell that were sold to button manufacturers on the Mainland. The pearl oyster population never recovered.

Biology notes: Laysan finches were translocated here in the 1960s and continue to survive.