The World Factbook (1990)/Wake Island
Wake Island (territory of the US)
_Wake_Island.jpg)
See regional map X
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