1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 11.9 km2 land area: 11.9 km2 comparative area: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Coastline
14.5 km
Environment
about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
0 km2
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 100% other: 0%
Location
in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km south-southwest of Honolulu, almost halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m (depth) exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
none
Terrain
low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
People and Society
Population
uninhabited
Government
Capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Digraph
LQ
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll
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
total: 1 usable: 1 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1
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