77 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
77 lines
6.1 KiB
Plaintext
HOWLAND ISLAND
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(territory of the US)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1.6 km2; land area: 1.6 km2
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Comparative area: about 2.7 times the size of The Mall in
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 6.4 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
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Terrain: low-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral island surrounded by
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a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area
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Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
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Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
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0%; forest and woodland 5%; other 95%
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Environment: almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines,
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and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; lacks fresh
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water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
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shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats
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Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North
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Pacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii
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and Australia
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PEOPLE
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Population: uninhabited
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Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and
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naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World
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War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use
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permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish
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and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
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National Wildlife Refuge System
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ECONOMY
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Overview: no economic activity
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Airports: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling
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stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia Earhart and Fred
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Noonan--they left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island, but were never
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seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable
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Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along
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the middle of the west coast
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Note: Earhart Light is a day beacon near the middle of the west
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coast that was partially destroyed during World War II, but has since
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been rebuilt in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually
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by the US Coast Guard
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