xed the island
in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The
US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World
War II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge
administered by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is
situated near the middle of the west coast.

Jersey:
The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent
the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway
in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil
occupied by German troops in World War II.

Johnston Atoll:
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. 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, and cleanup and closure of the facility is progressing.

Jordan:
For most of its history since independence from British
administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN
(1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing
pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab
states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through
several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary
elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994
a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the
eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne
following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has
consolidated his power and established his domestic priorities.

Juan de Nova Island:
Named after a famous 15th century Spanish
navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession
since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate.
Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological
station.

Kazakhstan:
Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic
tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely
united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the
18th century and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During
the 1950s and 1960s agric