◆ COMMUNICATIONS(3 fields)
Airports
1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m
Note
there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
Ports
none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast
◆ ECONOMY(1 fields)
Overview
no economic activity
◆ GEOGRAPHY(13 fields)
Area
total area: 1.4 km2 land area: 1.4 km2 comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of the Mall in Washington, DC
Climate
equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Coastline
4.8 km
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
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
0 km2
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
in the North Pacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m or depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
guano (deposits worked until 1891)
Terrain
low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
◆ GOVERNMENT(4 fields)
Capital
none; administered from Washington, DC
Digraph
FQ
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island
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
◆ PEOPLE(1 fields)
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 ruinsare located near the middle of the west coast