Background: According to ITYPEUSA, the United States annexed Wake Island in 1899 to use it as a way station for a transoceanic cable. An important air and naval base was built here in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and remained in their hands until the end of World War II. In later years, Wake served as a landing and refueling point for military and commercial aircraft en route across the Pacific. Since 1974, the airstrip on the island has been used by the military and some commercial cargo aircraft, as well as in case of emergency landings.
Geography
Location: Oceania, an atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands.
Geographic coordinates: 19° 17′ N. latitude, 166° 36′ E
Reference map: Oceania.
Area: total: 6.5 sq. km.; land surface area: 6.5 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: 11 times the size of the Mall Park in Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 19.3 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: tropical.
Relief: the atoll consists of three coral islands with an underwater volcano at the base; the central lagoon is its former crater, the islands are part of the vent of the volcano.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m; highest point: unnamed 6 m.
Natural resources: none.
Land use: arable land: 0%; cultivated land: 0%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 0%; others: 100%.
Irrigated land: 0 sq. km. (1998).
Natural Hazards: Occasional typhoons.
Current environmental issues: no data available.
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean, emergency landing site for transoceanic liners.
Population
Population: no local residents; note: US military personnel have left the island, but civilian personnel remain (1 military and 123 civilians as of December 2000) (January 2001 est.).
HOWLAND ISLAND
General Information: Discovered by US sailors in the early 19th century, the island was officially declared American in 1857. American and British companies developed guano deposits until about 1890. The island is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Geography
Location: Oceania, an island in the North Pacific, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia.
Geographic coordinates: 0° 48′ N. latitude, 176° 38′ W
Reference map: Oceania.
Area: total: 1.6 km2; land surface area: 1.6 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: about three times the size of the Mall Park in Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 6.4 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: equatorial; meager rainfall, constant wind, scorching sun.
Terrain: low, almost flat sandy coral island, surrounded by a narrow ring of reefs, lowered central part of the island.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m; highest point: 3 m.
Natural resources: guano (reserves were exploited until the end of the 19th century); terrestrial and marine fauna and flora.
Land use: arable land: 0%; cultivated land: 0%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 5%; others: 95%.
Irrigated land: 0 sq. km. (1998).
Natural Hazards: The narrow reefs surrounding the island can pose a danger to ships.
Current environmental issues: there are no natural fresh water supplies. Geography note: almost completely covered with grass, creeping plants and low shrubs, a small number of trees in the center; places of nesting, breeding and rearing of the offspring of seabirds, plovers and marine species.
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to the section “Geography”:
Population
Population: uninhabited; note: American civilians were evacuated in 1942 during World War II after Japanese air and sea attacks; the US military abandoned the island after World War II; You can only be on the territory with special permission from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, mainly granted to scientists and teachers; the island is visited annually by representatives of the Service (July 2001 est.).
Politics
Common long form: no;
Common short form: Howland Island. Dependency state: Territory not included in the United States; operated from Washington by the US Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Conservation System.
