Wake Island

an island in the N Pacific, belonging to the U.S.: air base. 3 sq. mi. (8 sq. km).

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Wake Island

Introduction Wake Island
Background: The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941 the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military and some commercial cargo planes, as well as for emergency landings. There are over 700 landings a year on the island. Geography Wake Island -
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Geographic coordinates: 19 17 N, 166 36 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 6.5 sq km
Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 19.3 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical
Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights People Wake Island
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: US military personnel have left the island, but civilian personnel remain; as of December 2000, one US Army civilian and 123 contractor personnel were present (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA Government Wake Island
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities on the island are managed by the US Army under a US Air Force permit
Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of the US is used Economy Wake Island -
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. Electricity - production: NA kWh Communications Wake Island
Telephone system: general assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (1998) Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997) Transportation Wake Island
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Airports: 1 (2001) Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Transportation - note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used by US military, some commercial cargo planes, and for emergency landings Military Wake Island
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US Transnational Issues Wake Island
Disputes - international: claimed by Marshall Islands

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Atoll, central Pacific Ocean.

An unincorporated territory of the U.S., Wake Island comprises three low-lying coral islets (Wilkes, Peale, and Wake) that surround a lagoon and occupy a total land area of 2.5 sq mi (6.5 sq km). The atoll was claimed by the U.S. in 1899. The U.S. Navy began construction of an air and submarine base in 1939; it was half-completed when Wake was attacked and occupied by Japanese forces in December 1941 after a 15-day resistance by a small contingent of U.S. Marines. Now administered by the U.S. Air Force, it has been used since 1974 as a commercial aircraft emergency stopover. It is also the site of weather research stations. There is no indigenous population on Wake Island, and U.S. military personnel have left, but some 100 civilians remained at the beginning of the 21st century.

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▪ island, Pacific Ocean

formerly  Halcyon Island 

      atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 miles (3,700 km) west of Honolulu. It is an unincorporated territory of the United States and comprises three low-lying coral islets (Wilkes, Peale, and Wake) that rise from an underwater volcano to 21 feet (6 metres) above sea level and are linked by causeways. They lie in a crescent configuration on a reef 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide surrounding a lagoon, the volcano's crater; the total land area is 2.5 square miles (6.5 square km). The atoll receives little rainfall, which may explain the absence of inhabitants when it was first sighted (1568) by the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña. Large rainwater catchments and a distillation plant for seawater have alleviated the problem. The atoll was visited by the British mariner William Wake (1796) and was charted by a U.S. expedition under Lieut. Charles Wilkes (Wilkes, Charles) (1841). It was formally claimed by the United States in 1899 for the site of a cable station and was placed under naval jurisdiction in 1934. The following year a commercial seaplane base and hotel were built for overnight stops on transpacific flights to Guam and the Philippines.

      In 1939 the U.S. Navy began construction of an air and submarine base; this was half completed when Wake was attacked and occupied by Japanese forces in December 1941. The Battle of Wake Island (Wake Island, Battle of) resulted in the capture of more than 1,600 U.S. troops by the Japanese. U.S. personnel returned to the island after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

      In 1962 the U.S. government placed Wake Island under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior; most administrative functions, however, are carried out by the Department of Defense. The atoll has no ports, but there is an airfield that is used by the U.S. military, which maintains a base there and restricts access to the atoll. The airfield can be used, however, by commercial aircraft for emergency landings. In 1975 Vietnamese refugees were housed on Wake Island before transport was arranged to the United States. A similar operation in 1995 ended with the repatriation of stranded Chinese refugees who had been en route to Hawaii by boat.

      The U.S. National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operate research stations on the islands. Bridges link the islets. In August 2006 Ioke, a “supertyphoon” (a tropical cyclone with sustained winds over 150 miles [240 km] per hour), caused severe damage to structures on the atoll; the inhabitants had been evacuated to Hawaii. In 2009 Wake Island was designated part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine national monument. There is no permanent population except several hundred air force personnel and civilian contractors.

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