1994 Edition

Affiliation

(territory of the US)

Airports

total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with TACAN and beacon with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

Area

total area: 2.8 sq km land area: 2.8 sq km comparative area: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Capital

none; administered from Washington, DC

Climate

tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

10 km

Digraph

JQ

Diplomatic representation in US

none (territory of the US)

Electricity

supplied by the management and operations contractor

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

Flag

the flag of the US is used

Highways

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

0 sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

Oceania, Polynesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,430 km west-southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Johnston Atoll

Natural resources

guano (deposits worked until about 1890)

Note

strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation

defense is the responsibility of the US

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.

Population

327 (July 1994 est.)

Telecommunications

excellent system including 60-channel submarine cable, Autodin/SRT terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), commercial satellite television system, and UHF/VHF air-ground radio

Terrain

mostly flat with a maximum elevation of 4 meters

Type

unincorportated territory of the US administered by the US Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) and managed cooperatively by DNA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

US diplomatic representation

none (territory of the US)