Howland Island

unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife

Howland Island as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 23 fields, one of 24 editions from 1990 to 2020.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

Capitalnone
Area1.6 km2
1992

Every edition of Howland Island

Populationas each edition published it
Not in this edition 1,942 in 1993

Geography

13 fields
Total area
1.6km2
Comparative area: about 2.7 times the size of the Mall in Washington, DC
Coastline
6.4km
land boundaries: noneContiguous zone: 12 nmContinental shelf: 200 m (depth)Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land area

1.6 km2

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

2 fields

Population

uninhabited

Population

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

Unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife

3 fields

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

Capital

none; administered from Washington, DC

Economy

No economic activity

1 field

Overview

no economic activity

Communications

3 fields

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast

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

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

1 field

Note

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

Central Intelligence Agency. “Howland Island.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/howland-island/1992.

How to cite ← 1991 edition 1993 edition →