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

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

no economic activity

Area [time series]

total area: 1.6 km2 land area: 1.6 km2 comparative area: about 2.7 times the size of the Mall in Washington, DC

Climate [time series]

equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Coastline [time series]

6.4 km

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

0 km2

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Oceania

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 m or the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

Terrain [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

none; administered from Washington, DC

Digraph [time series]

HQ

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Howland Island

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

Population [time series]

uninhabited; note - 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