PALMYRA ATOLL                                                                   
(territory of the US)                                                           
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 11.9 km2; land area: 11.9 km2                                       
                                                                                
Comparative area: about 20 times the size of The Mall in                        
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 14.5 km                                                              
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);                                               
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Climate: equatorial, hot, and very rainy                                        
                                                                                
Terrain: low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters                         
                                                                                
Natural resources: none                                                         
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures              
0%; forest and woodland 100%; other 0%                                          
                                                                                
Environment: about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation,                     
coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall                        
                                                                                
Note: located 1,600 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the North                 
Pacific Ocean, almost halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa                 
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: uninhabited                                                         
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: unincorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but                  
administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs,            
US Department of the Interior                                                   
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: no economic activity                                                  
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Ports: none; offshore anchorage in West Lagoon                                  
                                                                                
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m                         
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US                                   
                                                                                
