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HOWLAND ISLAND

 (territory of the US) 

@Howland Island:Geography

 Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half
 of the way from Hawaii to Australia

 Map references: Oceania

 Area:
 total area: 1.6 sq km
 land area: 1.6 sq km
 comparative area: about 2.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington,
 DC

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 6.4 km

 Maritime claims:
 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
 territorial sea: 12 nm

 International disputes: none

 Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

 Terrain: low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by a
 narrow fringing reef; depressed central area

 Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

 Land use:
 arable land: 0%
 permanent crops: 0%
 meadows and pastures: 0%
 forest and woodland: 5%
 other: 95%

 Irrigated land: 0 sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: no natural fresh water resources
 natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can
 be a maritime hazard
 international agreements: NA

 Note: almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines, and
 low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; primarily a
 nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and
 marine wildlife; feral cats

@Howland Island:People

 Population: uninhabited; note - American civilians evacuated in 1942
 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by
 US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public
 entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to
 scientists and educators

@Howland Island:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Howland Island

 Digraph: HQ

 Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and
 Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
 National Wildlife Refuge System

 Capital: none; administered from Washington, DC

Economy

 Overview: no economic activity

@Howland Island:Transportation

 Ports: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one boat landing
 area along the middle of the west coast

 Airports: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on
 the round-the-world flight of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan - they
 left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never seen again;
 the airstrip is no longer serviceable

 Note: Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
 that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since been
 rebuilt in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart

@Howland Island:Defense Forces

 Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the
 US Coast Guard


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