1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 1 sq km land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative
about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Coastline
3 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 1 m
Environment-current issues
none
Environment-international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates
6 24 N, 162 24 W
Geography-note
barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public
Irrigated land
0 sq km (1996)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Natural resources
none
Terrain
low and nearly level
People and Society
Population
uninhabited
Government
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Data code
KQ
Dependency status
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the US Navy; however, it is awash the majority of the time, so it is not usable and is uninhabited
Flag description
the flag of the US is used
Legal system
NA
National capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Economy
Economy-overview
no economic activity
Transportation
Airports
lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
Military and Security
Military-note
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
none