| Location: |
Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1328 km) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands |
| Geographic coordinates: |
16 45 N, 169 31 W |
| Map references: |
Oceania |
| Area: |
total: 2.8 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 2.8 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
34 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Summit Peak 5 m |
| Natural resources: |
guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
| Land use: |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: |
0 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: |
NA |
| Environment - current issues: |
no natural fresh water resources |
| Geography - note: |
strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public; a former US nuclear weapons test site; site of now-closed Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); most facilities dismantled and cleanup complete in 2004; some low-growing vegetation |
