1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 1 sq km land area: 1 sq km comparative area: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Coastline
3 km
Environment
current issues: NA natural hazards: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes this a maritime hazard international agreements: 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, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
none
Note
barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public
Terrain
low and nearly level with a maximum elevation of about 1 meter
People and Society
Population
uninhabited
Government
Capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Digraph
KQ
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Type
unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Navy, however it is awash the majority of the time, so it is not usable and is uninhabited
Economy
Overview
no economic activity
Transportation
Airports
lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
Ports
none; offshore anchorage only
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the US ________________________________________________________________________ KIRIBATI