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|
Introduction |
Johnston
Atoll |
|
Background: |
Both the US and the Kingdom
of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the
guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were
designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in
1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site
was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until
late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for
chemical weapons. Munitions destruction is now complete. Cleanup and
closure of the facility was completed in 2004. |
|
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
land: 2.8 sq km
water: 0 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 |
|
Population: |
361 no indigenous
inhabitants
note: in previous years, there was an average of 1,100 US military
and civilian contractor personnel present; as of September 2001,
population had decreased significantly when US Army Chemical Activity
Pacific (USACAP) departed; as of January 2004 the island population was
just above 200 personnel, including US Air Force, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, and civilian contractor personnel (July 2005 est.) |
|
Government |
Johnston
Atoll |
|
Country name: |
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form: Johnston Atoll |
|
Dependency
status: |
unincorporated territory of
the US; administered from Honolulu, HI, by Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air
Force Base, and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the
Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system |
|
Legal system: |
the laws of the US, where
applicable, apply |
|
Flag
description: |
the flag of the US is used
|
|
Economy -
overview: |
Economic activity is
limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors
located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
|
|
Communications |
Johnston
Atoll |
|
Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA
domestic: 512 KB satellite link to Hawaii teleport; 20 (POTS) voice
and data lines
international: NA (2002) |
|
Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 256 KB circuit to US
Department of Defense-run Nonsecure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET)
(2002) |
|
Transportation |
Johnston
Atoll |
|
Ports and
harbors: |
Johnston Island
|
|
Airports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports -
with paved runways: |
total:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
|
Military -
note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the US |
|
Transnational Issues |
Johnston
Atoll |
|
Disputes -
international: |
none |
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