Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
19.3 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical

Terrain:
atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano;
central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 6 m

Natural resources:
none

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

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues:
NA

Geography - note:
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing
location for transpacific flights

People Wake Island

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: US military personnel have left the island, but contractor
personnel remain; as of October 2001, 200 contractor personnel were
present (July 2004 est.)

Government Wake Island

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Wake Island

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities on the island are
conducted by the US Army under a caretaker permit from the US Air
Force

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

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Wake Island

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

Communications Wake Island

Telephone system:
general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the
Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service
provided by satellite (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (1997)

Transportation Wake Island

Ports and harbors:
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships

Airports:
1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Transportation - note:
formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used by US
military, some commercial cargo planes, and for emergency landings

Military Wake Island

Mili