The story
Named for brothers George and Matthew Howland, who were early investors in guano mining on the island.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Howland Island
Today it means: An uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km) southwest of Honolulu. It is an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States. Full definition →