200 nm

Climate:
equatorial, hot, and very rainy

Terrain:
very low

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 2 m

Natural resources:
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (forests and woodlands) (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and
balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall

People Palmyra Atoll

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants; 4 to 20 Nature Conservancy staff, US
Fish and Wildlife staff (July 2004 est.)

Government Palmyra Atoll

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll

Dependency status:
incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered
from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US
Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US
Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded
areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm
territorial sea or within the lagoon

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

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Palmyra Atoll

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Palmyra Atoll

Highways:
most of the roads and many causeways built during World War II are
unserviceable and overgrown (2001)

Ports and harbors:
West Lagoon

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Palmyra Atoll

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Palmyra Atoll

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Panama

Introduction Panama

Background:
With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly
signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal
and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the
structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the
US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. On 7 September
1977, an agreement was signed for the