Fanning

Fanning, a coral island in the Pacific, lying in 3° 51' N. lat. and 159° 22' W. long. It has about 150 inhabitants, and was formally annexed by Britain in 1888, as lying in the path of a possible submarine cable between Canada and Australia. Fanning Island is also called American Island. The name of Fanning Islands is sometimes given to the group comprising Fanning, Christmas, New York or Washington, Jarvis, and Palmyra Islands.