Google Mashup of Highpoints of U.S. Territories
With all of our obsessions with climbing high points, one list that would seem yet to be completed is the “Highpoints of U.S. Territories.”
There has never been a good list of the highpoints but I was inspired to create after seeing Summitpost’s new state highpoints list which no doubt will become the defintive source for state highpoint info because of its considerable interative nature. In the early stages the list had included Mount Lamlam on Guam.
Thus, I sought out a list of highpoints for other territories starting with the database maintained Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) maintained by the USGS.
The system has its quirks and inaccuracies. One of the ironies is that Washington, DC, ranks right up there with the U.S. Minor Islands as far as its geography is concerned. DC is considered a territory and its highpoint at Fort Reno is not even listed in the database (a point which Highpointer Club Member Robert Hyman is trying to correct).
By extrapolating the USGS data with some web research here’s a list of the summits.
American Samoa
Mount Lata 3,160 feet
South Latitude: 14.2369
West Longitude: 169.457
Notes: American Samoa is the only U.S. territory south of the equator
Federated States of Micronesia
Mount Buache 1,946 feet
North Latitude: 5.35333
East Longitude: 162.9964
Guam
Mount Lamlam 1,332 feet
North Latitude: 13.33861
East Longitude: 144.6628
Northern Mariana Islands
Agrihan Volcano 3,166 Feet
North Latitude: 18.7675
East Longitude: 145.6672
Palau
Mount Etekkueiku 400 feet
North Latitude: 7.43306
East Longitude: 134.5008
Puerto Rico
Cerro de Punta 4,390 feet
North Latitude: 18.17444
West Latitude: 66.5922
U.S. Minor Islands
Palmyra Atoll 30 feet
North Latitude: 7.43306
West Longitude: 134.5008
Notes: The Minor Islands are atolls that are almost all uninhabited and includes major World War II sites such as Midway Island and Wake Island (although there’s a debate on whether the U.S. or the Marshall Island own the later)
U.S. Virgin Islands
Crown Mountain 1,556 Feet
North Latitude: 18.35917
West Longitude: 64.975
Notes: Located on St. Thomas
District of Columbia
Fort Reno 429 Feet
North Latitude: 38.95277
West Latitude: 77.0785
Notes: The highpoint is not listed by the USGS but Highpointer Robert Hyman is working to get a formal survey and designation. The highest named summit in the District of Columbia is Mount Saint Alban (382 feet).
Marshall Islands*
Likiep Island 33 feet
North Latitude: 9.81694
East Longitude: 169.3053
Notes: The Marshall Islands gained their independence in 1986 after the U.S. nuked them 67 times in the 1940’s and 50’s at such places as Bikini Island and Enewetak. The U.S. still pays for everything there for the 57,000 residents while matters work their way through the courts. It is still listed in the USGS database.
Here’s a list of highpoints of U.S. Territories.
| Entity | Elevation | Feature | Lat DD | Lon DD |
| American Samoa | 3,160 | Mount Lata | -14.2369 | -169.457 |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 1,946 | Mount Buache | 5.35333 | 162.9964 |
| Guam | 1,332 | Mount Lamlam | 13.33861 | 144.6628 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 3,166 | Agrihan | 18.7675 | 145.6672 |
| Palau | 400 | Mount Etekkueiku | 7.43306 | 134.5008 |
| Puerto Rico | 4,390 | Cerro de Punta | 18.17444 | -66.5922 |
| U.S. Minor Islands | 30 | Palmyra Atoll | 5.88111 | -162.073 |
| Virgin Islands | 1,556 | Crown Mountain | 18.35917 | -64.975 |
| Washington, DC | 429 | Fort Reno | 38.95277 | -77.0785 |
| Marshall Islands | 33 | Likiep Island | 9.81694 | 169.3053 |
Google Earth Tour
Google Earth Tour on Keyhole BBS
Territory Excel Highpoint File
Word Document Used for Google Mashup
Tech Note
I encountered some problems uploading the KML/KMZ Google Earth files and getting them to launch. Here’s a discussion on process.
Highpointers
U.S. Territories are no longer on the Summitpost U.S. Highpoints page. Now the page has only the 50 state highpoints. Maybe someone will post U.S. Territory highpoints on Summitpost someday, but for now, we just have the highpoints page.
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=171191
David Olson sent the following corrections and he’s correct on all of them (as usual) I will make those corrections soon.
I see two or three things to comment on in your list of
US Territory HPs.
1) In the US Minor Islands, I bet that Navassa Island
(Caribbean, southwest of Haiti) is higher than the 30 ft.
of Palmyra Atoll.
2) In the US Minor Islands. I am not surprised that
the Marshall Islands is making a claim to Wake Island.
I doubt that it has much merit.
3) Federated-Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau
are all members of the UN. I doubt they are US Territories.
My brother who has been to Palmyra Atoll says that no place on the island could be more than 10 feet. There used to be a tower there and that could account for the 30 foot height claim.
Google mash up the high-points of US territories. Your list of high-points is great. It will become the definitve source for state high-point info. Your list of summits is amazing!
Thanks to Google for mashing up the high-points of US territories. But as far as i know that US territories r no longer on the Summitpost US. high-points page. But i m not sure about this. But the list displayed by u great.
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