Bird Colony: Guano Islands Act

Guano. The faeces of sea birds. An abundant source of saltpeter and a wonderful fertiliser. In the 19th century it became essential for newly developed intensive farming techniques. Many nations rich in guano deposits took advantage of this economic boom while others took steps to stake an interest in this newly prized commodity. An example of this was the United States' Guano Island Act, enacted in 1856.

Guano Deposits

The United States became aware of large guano deposits on the islands of the Pacific Ocean aswell as in the Caribbean and passed the act as a measure of acquiring such assets. The Act allows for U.S. citizens to take possession of islands with guano deposits as long as they were not occupied or in the jurisdiction of another government. It also incorporated the island into the United States criminal jurisdiction aswell as putting it under the protection of the U.S. military.

Islands that are currently considered United States Territories which were acquired under the Guano Islands Act include Midway Atoll, of Battle of Midway fame; Howland Island; Baker Island and Jarvis Island amongst others. Many of these islands are currently disputed with other nations, such as Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank which are claimed by Colombia and Navassa Island which is claimed by Haiti.

Most of the islands claimed under the act have since been incorporated into other sovereign states, with many now being part of the Pacific island nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu aswell as Associate States of New Zealand such as Cook Islands and Tokelau. The Guano Island Act states that while islands containing guano could be claimed as territory, it also states that the United States was under no obligation to retain possession after the guano deposits were exhausted. Previous to the act all territory that had been acquired by the United States was considered to be an integral part of the country and could eventually ascend to statehood in its own right as part of the Union. The Guano Island Act was the beginning of the concept of Insular Areas in the United States, territory that was under the control of the country without actually being an integral part of it.

Current insular areas include American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico. In some respect it can be argued that the Puerto Rico statehood debate can be all blamed on the American desire for bird droppings.

Its a weird world.