Palmyra Atoll




                                  Header


Affiliation:
     (territory of the US)


                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Polynesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km
     south-southwest of Honolulu, almost halfway between Hawaii and
     American Samoa
Map references:
     Oceania
Area:
total area:
     11.9 sq km
land area:
     11.9 sq km
comparative area:
     about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
     0 km
Coastline:
     14.5 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     12 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, hot, and very rainy
Terrain:
     low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
Natural resources:
     none
Land use:
arable land:
     0%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     100%
other:
     0%
Irrigated land:
     0 sq km




Environment:
current issues:
     NA
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     NA
Note:
     about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and
     balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall


                                  People


Population:
     uninhabited


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     LQ
Type:
     incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by
     the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of
     the Interior
Capital:
     none; administered from Washington, DC


                                  Economy


Overview:
     no economic activity


                              Communications


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 6 meters of water; much of the road and
     many causeways built during the war are unserviceable and overgrown
Airports:
total:
     1
usable:
     1
with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0




with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     1


                              Defense Forces


Note:
     defense is the responsibility of the US