Wake Island

Background

It is likely that early settlers from Micronesia and Polynesia made sporadic visits to Wake Island, with oral traditions suggesting that individuals from the Marshall Islands undertook voyages to the island. When Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de NEYRA first encountered Wake Island in 1568, it was devoid of inhabitants, and it remained uninhabited during the passage of English captain Samuel WAKE in 1796. The United States Exploring Expedition arrived at the island in 1841, and the US formally annexed it in 1899 to serve as a cable and refueling station for its newly acquired Pacific territories, including Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam. In the 1930s, Pan American Airways established facilities on Wake Island to facilitate stopovers for flights traveling from the US to China. The US began deploying military resources to Wake Island in 1941, after which Japan seized control of the island and held it until the conclusion of World War II. In 1946, commercial airlines resumed using Wake Island for refueling purposes.

In 1973, the Marshall Islands asserted their claim over Wake Island, referencing the aforementioned oral legends, although the US has not acknowledged these assertions. The following year, in 1974, the US military assumed exclusive control over the island’s airstrip and imposed restrictions on visitor access. In 1978, Bikini Islanders from the Marshall Islands, who had been relocated in the 1950s and 1960s due to US nuclear testing, contemplated resettlement on Wake Island; however, this proposal was denied by the US military. Since the 1970s, Wake Island has played a significant role in missile defense testing. In 2009, it was designated as part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Area

Climate

tropical

Terrain

an atoll consisting of three diminutive coral islands, namely Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, formed atop an underwater volcano; the central lagoon represents a former crater, while the islands constitute the rim

Land use

Location

located in Oceania, this atoll is situated in the North Pacific Ocean, approximately two-thirds of the distance from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands

Coastline

19.3 km

Elevation

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Map references

Oceania

Land boundaries

Maritime claims

Natural hazards

experiences intermittent typhoons

Geography - note

holds a strategically significant position in the North Pacific Ocean

Natural resources

none

Area - comparative

encompasses an area roughly 11 times larger than the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Geographic coordinates

19 17 N, 166 39 E

Population

Climate

tropical

Land use

Environmental issues

restricted drinking water; dangerous waste management

Carbon dioxide emissions

Flag

the flag of the United States is utilized

Citizenship

see United States

Country name

Independence

none (territory of the US)

Legal system

common law of the United States

Dependency status

an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States; overseen by the Department of the Interior; the 11th US Air Force is presently engaged in operations on the atoll, which is managed by the Pacific Air Force Support Center

Petroleum

Electricity access

Broadcast media

The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) of the United States delivers satellite radio and television broadcasts as of 2018.

Ports

Airports

1 (2025)

Military - note

The responsibility for defense lies with the United States; the island functions as a trans-Pacific refueling station for military aircraft and facilitates testing operations for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA); management of Wake is under the jurisdiction of the US Air Force (2025)