ARCHIVE // UM // 1998

Wake Island

1998 Edition — territory

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Economy
Economic overview (Economy-overview) [time series]
Economic activity is limited to providing services to contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - capacity (Electricity-capacity) [time series]
NA kW note: electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - production (Electricity-production) [time series]
NA kWh note: electricity supplied by the US military Communications
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) television service provided by satellite
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative (Area-comparative) [time series]
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
tropical
Coastline [time series]
19.3 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Environment - current issues (Environment-current issues) [time series]
NA
International environmental agreements (Environment-international agreements) [time series]
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates [time series]
19 17 N, 166 36 E
Geography - note (Geography-note) [time series]
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
Irrigated land [time series]
0 sq km (1993)
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location [time series]
Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Map references [time series]
Oceania
Maritime claims [time series]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
occasional typhoons
Natural resources [time series]
none
Terrain [time series]
atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island
Data code [time series]
WQ
Dependency status [time series]
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Department of the Interior; occasional activities on the island are managed by the US Army under a US Air Force contract
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
the flag of the US is used
Legal system [time series]
NA
Military
Military - note (Military-note) [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the US
People
Population [time series]
no indigenous inhabitants note: there are no permanent US military personnel on the island; some civilian contract personnel remain (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international (Disputes-international) [time series]
claimed by Marshall Islands WALLIS AND FUTUNA (overseas territory of France)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
1 (1997 est.)
Airports - with paved runways (Airports-with paved runways) [time series]
total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Transportation - note (Transportation-note) [time series]
formerly an important commercial aviation base, now occasionally used by US military, some commercial cargo planes, and for emergency landings