The US annexed Wake Island in 1899
for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in
1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and
held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was
developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial
aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has
been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. All
operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in
August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon IOKE (category 5), which
struck the island with sustained winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge
inflicting major damage. A US Air Force assessment and repair team
returned to the island in September and restored limited function to the
airfield and facilities. The future status of activities on the island
will be determined upon completion of the survey and assessment.
Geography ::Wake Island
Location:
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Geographic coordinates:
19 17 N, 166 39 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
country comparison to the world: 242
land:
6.5 sq km
water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
19.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
tropical
Terrain:
atoll of three low coral
islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, 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% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
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:since
super typhoon IOKE, a small military contingent along with 75
contractor personnel have returned to the island to conduct clean-up and
restore basic operations on the island (July 2008 est.)
Government ::Wake Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Wake Island
Dependency status:
unorganized,
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by
the Department of the Interior; activities in the atoll are currently
conducted by 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 military personnel and contractors located on the
island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Communications ::Wake Island
Telephone system:
general assessment: satellite communications; 2 DSN circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic:
NA
international:
NA
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)) provides satellite radio service (2005)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (2005)
Transportation ::Wake Island
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 213
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
1 (2009)
Ports and terminals:
none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Transportation - note:
there are no commercial
or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of
island missions; emergency landing is available
Military ::Wake Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of
the US; the US Air Force is responsible for overall administration and
operation of the island; the launch support facility is administered by
the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
