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Johnston Atoll

2020 Edition — territory

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Geography
Area [time series]
total: 3 sq km | land: 2.63 sq km | water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline [time series]
34 km
Environment - current issues [time series]
no natural fresh water resources
Geographic coordinates [time series]
16 45 N, 169 31 W
Geography - note [time series]
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public; a former US nuclear weapons test site; site of now-closed Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); most facilities dismantled and cleanup complete in 2004; some low-growing vegetation
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Location [time series]
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1328 km southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands
Map references [time series]
Oceania
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
occasional tropical cyclones; coral reef to the north and west of the atoll is a maritime hazard
Natural resources [time series]
guano deposits (worked until about 1890), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Terrain [time series]
mostly flat
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Johnston Atoll | etymology: although first encountered in 1796, the islands were named after Captain Charles JOHNSTON, who sighted them in 1807
Dependency status [time series]
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Honolulu, Hawaii, by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
the flag of the US is used
Legal system [time series]
the laws of the US apply where applicable
Introduction
Background [time series]
Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston Island and Sand Island were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Cleanup and closure of the weapons facility ended in May 2005.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of the US
People and Society
Population [time series]
uninhabited | note: in previous years, there was an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel present; as of September 2001, population had decreased significantly when US Army Chemical Activity Pacific (USACAP) departed; as of May 2005 all US Government personnel had left the island
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none
Transportation
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 1 (2013) | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Johnston Island