strategic location 3,700 km west of Honolulu in the North
Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and the
Northern Mariana Islands; emergency landing location for transpacific
flights

_*_People
_#_Population: 195 (January 1990); no indigenous inhabitants;
302 temporary population

_#_Note: population peaked about 1970 with over 1,600 persons during
the Vietnam conflict

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Air
Force (under an agreement with the US Department of Interior) since
24 June 1972

_#_Flag: the US flag is used

_*_Economy
_#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US
military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and
manufactured goods must be imported.

_#_Electricity: supplied by US military

_*_Communications
_#_Ports: none; because of the reefs, there are only two offshore
anchorages for large ships

_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440 to 3,659 m

_#_Telecommunications: underwater cables to Guam and through Midway
to Honolulu; AFRTS radio and television service provided by satellite;
stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV

_#_Note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used only
by US military and some commercial cargo planes

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
_%_
_@_Wallis and Futuna
(overseas territory of France)
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 274 km2; land area: 274 km2; includes Ile Uvea
(Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20
islets

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 129 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool,
dry season (May to October)

_#_Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills

_#_Natural resources: negligible

_#_Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops 20%; meadows and pastures
0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 75%

_#_Environment: both island groups have fringing reefs

_#_Note: located 4,600 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific
Ocean about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

_*_People
_#_Population: 16,590 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: