1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Coastline
14.5 km
Comparative area
about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Contiguous zone
12 nm
Continental shelf
200 m (depth)
Disputes
none
Environment
about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
11.9 km2
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 100%; other 0%
Natural resources
none
Note
located 1,600 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, almost halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa
Terrain
low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
11.9 km2
People and Society
Population
uninhabited
Government
Capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Long-form name
none
Type
unincorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Economy
Overview
no economic activity
Communications
Airports
1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Ports
the main harbor is West Lagoon, which is entered by a channel on the southwest side of the atoll; both the channel and harbor will accommodate vessels drawing 4 meters of water; much of the road and many causeways built during the war are unserviceable and overgrown
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the US