SELECT EDITION
CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(3 fields)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (1998)
Telephone system
satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA
Television broadcast stations
0 (1997)
◆ ECONOMY(2 fields)
Economy - overview
Economic activity is limited to providing services to contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - production
NA kWh
◆ GEOGRAPHY(17 fields)
Area
total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
tropical
Coastline
19.3 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Environment - current issues
NA
Geographic coordinates
19 17 N, 166 36 E
Geography - note
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
Irrigated land
0 sq km (1998)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons
Natural resources
none
Terrain
atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
◆ GOVERNMENT(4 fields)
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island
Data code
WQ
Dependency status
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 description
the flag of the US is used
◆ MILITARY(1 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the US
◆ PEOPLE(1 fields)
Population
no indigenous inhabitants note: US military personnel have left the island, but some civilian personnel remain (July 2000 est.)
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(1 fields)
Disputes - international
claimed by Marshall Islands [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]
◆ TRANSPORTATION(4 fields)
Airports
1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Transportation - note
formerly an important commercial aviation base, now occasionally used by US military, some commercial cargo planes, and for emergency landings