1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
10 km
Comparative area
about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Environment
some low-growing vegetation
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 12 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth); Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
guano (deposits worked until about 1890)
Note
strategic location 1,328 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way between Hawaii and the Marshall Islands; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS)
Terrain
mostly flat with a maximum elevation of 4 meters
Total area
2.8 km2; land area: 2.8 km2
People and Society
Population
1,325 (December 1990); all US government personnel and contractors
Government
Diplomatic representation
none (territory of the US)
Flag
the flag of the US is used
Long-form name
none (territory of the US)
Type
unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) and managed cooperatively by DNA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Economy
Electricity
supplied by the United States Military
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
Airports
1 with permanent-surface runway 2,743 m
Note
US Coast Guard operates a LORAN transmitting station
Ports
Johnston Island
Telecommunications
excellent system including 60-channel submarine cable, Autodin/SRT terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), commercial satellite television system (receive only), and UHF/VHF air-ground radio, marine VHF/FM Channel 16
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of the US _%_