BAKER ISLAND (territory of the US) GEOGRAPHY Total area: 1.4 km2; land area: 1.4 km2 Comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 4.8 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, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until 1891) Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100% Environment: treeless, sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife 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; a cemetery and cemetery ruins located near the middle of the west coast 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 Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast DEFENSE FORCES Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard