Country:  Wake Island
(territory of the US)
- Geography
Total area: 6.5 km2; land area: 6.5 km2
 
Comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
 
Land boundaries: none
 
Coastline: 19.3 km
 
Maritime claims:
 
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
 
Continental shelf: 200 m;
 
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
 
Territorial sea: 12 nm
 
Disputes: claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands
 
Climate: tropical
 
Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano;
central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim; average elevation
less than four meters
 
Natural resources: none
 
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other
 
Environment: subject to occasional typhoons
 
Note: strategic location 3,700 km west of Honolulu in the North Pacific
Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and the Northern Mariana
Islands; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
 
- People
Population: 195 (January 1990); no indigenous inhabitants;
temporary population consists of 11 US Air Force personnel,
27 US civilians, and 151 Thai contractors
 
Note: population peaked about 1970 with over 1,600 persons during
the Vietnam conflict
 
- Government
Long-form name: none
 
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Air Force
(under an agreement with the US Department of Interior) since 24 June 1972
 
Flag: the US flag is used
 
- Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US
military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.
 
- Communications
Ports: none; because of the reefs, there are only two offshore
anchorages for large ships
 
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,987 m
 
Telecommunications: underwater cables to Guam and through Midway
to Honolulu; AFRTS radio and television service provided by satellite;
stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV
 
Note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used only
by US military and some commercial cargo planes
 
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US