Over the middle decades of the nineteenth century, millions of tonnes of guano were mined in horrific conditions, by mainly Chinese indentured labourers who were little more than slaves, to satisfy the needs of farmers in Britain and other parts of Europe. Ships queued for months to await the chance to load the dusty and foul-smelling cargo. Desperate to get access to guano, the American Congress passed an Act saying that any American who found a guano island in the Pacific could claim it for the United States – which is why so many mid-Pacific atolls belong to America today.
