Airports [time series]

airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan--they left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable

Note [time series]

Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart

Ports [time series]

none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast

Note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

no economic activity

Climate [time series]

equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Coastline [time series]

6.4 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

about 2.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Contiguous zone [time series]

12 nm;

Continental shelf [time series]

200 m;

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats

Extended economic zone [time series]

200 nm;

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 5% forest and woodland; 95% other

Natural resources [time series]

guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

Note [time series]

remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia

Terrain [time series]

low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

1.6 km2; land area: 1.6 km2

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

Government type (Type) [time series]

unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System

Note [time series]

American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators

Population [time series]

uninhabited