HOWLAND ISLAND (territory of the US) GEOGRAPHY Total area: 1.6 km2; land area: 1.6 km2 Comparative area: about 2.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 6.4 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 12 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm 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% Environment: almost totally covered with grasses, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia 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 Long-form name: none 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 ECONOMY Overview: no economic activity COMMUNICATIONS 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 Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast 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 Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard