2024 Edition Primary

Background

Early Micronesian and Polynesian settlers probably visited Wake Island, and oral legends tell of periodic voyages to the islands by people from the Marshall Islands. Wake Island was uninhabited when Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de NEYRA became the first European to see it in 1568 and still had no inhabitants when English captain Samuel WAKE sailed by it in 1796. The United States Exploring Expedition visited the island in 1841, and the US annexed it in 1899 to use as a cable and refueling station for its newly acquired Pacific territories of Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam. In the 1930s, Pan American Airways built facilities on Wake Island so that it could be used as a stopover for flights from the US to China. In 1941, the US began to install military assets on Wake Island, and Japan then captured the island and held it until the end of World War II. In 1946, commercial airlines resumed using Wake Island as a refueling stop. In 1973, the Marshall Islands claimed Wake Island, based on the oral legends, although the US has not recognized these claims. In 1974, the US military took exclusive control of the island’s airstrip and restricted visitors. In 1978, Bikini Islanders from the Marshall Islands, who were evacuated in the 1950s and 1960s because of US nuclear tests, considered rehoming on Wake Island, but the US military rejected that plan. Since the 1970s, the island has been important for missile defense testing. In 2009, Wake Island was included in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Area

land

6.5 sq km

total

7 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 11 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC

Climate

tropical

Coastline

19.3 km

Elevation

highest point

unnamed location 8 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

19 17 N, 166 39 E

Geography - note

strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total

0 km

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2018 est.)

other

100% (2018 est.)

Location

Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

subject to occasional typhoons

Natural resources

none

Terrain

atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim

Population

note

note: approximately 100 military personnel and civilian contractors maintain and operate the airfield and communications facilities

total

(2018 est.) no indigenous inhabitants

Citizenship

see United States

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Wake Island

etymology

although first discovered by British Captain William WAKE in 1792, the island is named after British Captain Samuel WAKE, who rediscovered the island in 1796

Dependency status

unincorporated unorganized territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the 11th US Air Force and managed from Pacific Air Force Support Center

Flag description

the flag of the US is used

Independence

none (territory of the US)

Legal system

US common law

Carbon dioxide emissions

from petroleum and other liquids

1.221 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

1.221 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

8,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) provides satellite radio/TV broadcasts (2018)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment

satellite communications; 2 Defense Switched Network circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS); located in the Hawaii area code - 808 (2018) (2018)

Airports

1 (2024)

Ports

key ports

Wake Island

ports with oil terminals

1

total ports

1 (2024)

very small

1

Transportation - note

there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the US; the island serves as a trans-Pacific refueling stop for military aircraft and supports US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) testing activities; the US Air Force is responsible for overall administration and operation of the island facilities while the launch support facility is administered by the MDA (2024)

Climate

tropical

Environment - current issues

potable water obtained through a catchment rainwater system and a desalinization plant for brackish ground water; hazardous wastes moved to an accumulation site for storage and eventual transport off site via barge

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2018 est.)

other

100% (2018 est.)