me:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the
Interior
note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted
restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef
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 12-nautical-mile territorial sea limit

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

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Kingman Reef

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Kingman Reef

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
(2004 est.)

Military Kingman Reef

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Kingman Reef

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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@Kiribati

Introduction Kiribati

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.

Geography Kiribati

Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator; the capital Tarawa is 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: 811 sq km
land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,