Howland Island




                                  Header


Affiliation:
     (territory of the US)


                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Polynesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 2,575 km southwest of
     Honolulu, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and
     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:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
continental shelf:
     200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
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:
     lacks freshwater
natural hazards:
     NA
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


                                  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


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
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


                              Communications


Ports:
     none; offshore anchorage only, 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


                              Defense Forces


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