Swains Island
11°03′S 171°05′W
Swains Island (; Tokelauan: Olohega Tokelauan pronunciation: [oloˈhɛŋa] ; Samoan: Olosega Samoan pronunciation: [oloˈsɛŋa] ), also known as Jennings Island, is a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group in the South Pacific Ocean.

Terrain
11°03′S 171°05′W
Overview
Swains Island (; Tokelauan: Olohega Tokelauan pronunciation: [oloˈhɛŋa] ; Samoan: Olosega Samoan pronunciation: [oloˈsɛŋa] ), also known as Jennings Island, is a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group in the South Pacific Ocean. Administered as part of American Samoa since 1925, the island is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States. Privately owned by the family of Eli Hutchinson Jennings since 1856, Swains Island was used as a copra plantation until 1967. It has not been permanently inhabited since 2008, but continues to be visited by members of the Jennings family, scientific researchers, and amateur radio operators. The island is located 180 km (97 nmi; 112 mi) south of Fakaofo (Tokelau) and 300 km (162 nmi; 186 mi) north of Savai‘i (Samoa). The land area is 2.43 km2 (0.94 sq mi), and the total area including the lagoon is 3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi).
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Chart
Nearest islands
- Fenua Loa180 km
- Te Loto183 km
- 184 km
- Fenua Fala188 km
- 189 km
- 190 km
Also in Tokelau
Unnamed island
1 km²▲ 22 m
Major islands

Fenua Fala
0.41 km²▲ 21 m
Major islands
Mulifenua
0.39 km²▲ 20 m
Major islands
Te Loto
0.38 km²▲ 17 m
Major islands
Fenua Loa
0.33 km²▲ 22 m
Major islands
Unnamed island
0.19 km²▲ 20 m
Major islands
Unnamed island
0.15 km²
Major islands
Unnamed island
0.13 km²
Major islands
Also in Polynesia
New Zealand
268,021 km²
Major islands
Samoa
2,842 km²
Minor islands
Rangiroa
1,446 km²▲ 12 m
Minor islands
Fakarava
1,112 km²
Minor islands
Tonga
749 km²
Minor islands
Hao
720 km²▲ 3 m
Minor islands
Apataki
706 km²
Minor islands
Makemo
603 km²
Minor islands
Also in Leeward Islands
New Zealand
268,021 km²
Major islands
Samoa
2,842 km²
Minor islands
Rangiroa
1,446 km²▲ 12 m
Minor islands
Fakarava
1,112 km²
Minor islands
Tonga
749 km²
Minor islands
Hao
720 km²▲ 3 m
Minor islands
Apataki
706 km²
Minor islands
Makemo
603 km²
Minor islands
Also in Society Islands
New Zealand
268,021 km²
Major islands
Samoa
2,842 km²
Minor islands
Rangiroa
1,446 km²▲ 12 m
Minor islands
Fakarava
1,112 km²
Minor islands

Tahiti
1,044 km²▲ 2,241 m
Minor islands
Tonga
749 km²
Minor islands
Hao
720 km²▲ 3 m
Minor islands
Apataki
706 km²
Minor islands
Also in Pacific Islands

New Guinea
774,566 km²▲ 4,884 m
Major islands
Japan
377,974 km²
Major islands
New Zealand
268,021 km²
Major islands

Honshu
227,970 km²▲ 3,776 m
Major islands

Luzon
104,935 km²▲ 2,928 m
Major islands

Mindanao
93,885 km²▲ 2,954 m
Major islands

Hokkaido
77,983 km²▲ 2,291 m
Minor islands

Sakhalin
74,571 km²▲ 1,609 m
Minor islands
Photographs

View of Swains Island, American Samoa

A view from the southwest of the southern tip of Swains Island, with pink crustose coralline algae coloring the shallow reef.

Road on Swains Island, American Samoa

Copra drying sheds on Swains Island (1886)

Bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) Image ID: corl0383, NOAA's Coral Kingdom Collection Location: American Samoa, Swains Island Photographer: Kevin Lino NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD

Heller's barracuda (Sphyraena helleri) Image ID: corl0385, NOAA's Coral Kingdom Collection Location: American Samoa, Swains Island Photographer: Kevin Lino NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD

Group of young people and children from Swains Island (1886)

Group of young people and children from Swains Island (1886)

NOAA divers swim over a coral reef off the south coast of Swains Island.

A diver from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration survey ship NOAAS Rainier (S 221) takes photographs for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) survey of a coral reef off the southwest coast of Swains Island.

A hermit crab shelters amidst the branches of a cauliflower coral (Pocillopora meandrina) on a reef on the southeast coast of Swains Island.
Sources
Facts
Photographs
- Swains Island 1. USGC / Public domain
- Swains island southern tip pink crustose coralline algae 2023. NOAA Fisheries/Damaris Torres-Pulliza / Public domain
- Swains Island 2. United States Coast Guard / Public domain
- MA I296547 TePapa Copra-drying-sheds-Swains full. Thomas P. Andrew / Public domain
- Corl0383 (28010066072). NOAA Photo Library / CC BY 2.0
- Corl0385 (27497857694). NOAA Photo Library / CC BY 2.0
- MA I296785 TePapa Swains-Island-From-the full. Thomas P. Andrew / Public domain
- Swains Islanders by Thomas Andrew (1886). Thomas P. Andrew / Public domain
- NOAA divers pink corals Swains Island 2023. NOAA Fisheries/Courtney S. Couch / Public domain
- NOAA diver Structure-from-Motion (SfM) survey Swains Island 2023. NOAA Fisheries/Mia Lamarind / Public domain
- Hermit crab cauliflower coral Swains Island 2023. NOAA Fisheries/Damaris Torres-Pulliza / Public domain
- Olosega banner bridge. cropped by Thatotherperson from a public domain photo / Public domain