1992 Edition

Climate

tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Coastline

8 km

Comparative area

about 7.5 times the size of the Mall in Washington, DC

Contiguous zone

12 nm

Continental shelf

200 m (depth)

Disputes

none

Environment

sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats

Exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Land area

4.5 km2

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%

Natural resources

guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

Note

2,090 km south of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, just south of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands

Terrain

sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

4.5 km2

Population

uninhabited

note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators

Capital

none; administered from Washington, DC

Long-form name

none (territory of the US)

Type

unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System

Overview

no economic activity

Note

there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only - one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island

Note

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard