eef
from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18
January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be
administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this
refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of
Kingman Reef out to the twelve nautical mile territorial sea limit

Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

Kingman Reef Economy

Economy - overview: no economic activity

Kingman Reef Transportation

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Airports: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and
American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and
1938 (2000 est.)

Kingman Reef Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Kingman Reef Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Kiribati

Kiribati Introduction

Background: The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in
1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of
Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited
Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with
Kiribati.

Kiribati Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia;
note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its
territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group
(GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under
its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line

Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 717 sq km

land: 717 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands

Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,143 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Natural resources: phosphate (pr