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Communications

Note [time series]

there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

Ports [time series]

none; offshore anchorage only--one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island

Defense Forces

Note [time series]

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

Economy

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

no economic activity

Geography

Climate [time series]

tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Coastline [time series]

8 km Contiguous zone: 12 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%

Natural resources [time series]

guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

Note [time series]

2,090 km south of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, just south of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands

Terrain [time series]

sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Area (Total area) [time series]

4.5 km2; land area: 4.5 km2

Government

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

none (territory of the US)

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

People

Note [time series]

Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators

Population [time series]

uninhabited

Jarvis Island