General information: According to Ehangzhou, the island became a possession of the USA in 1857, guano deposits were developed by the companies of the USA and Great Britain in the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, an attempt was made to colonize the island, but the settlement was destroyed during World War II and has since been abandoned. The island is now a national wildlife sanctuary; The lighthouse is located approximately in the middle of the west coast.
Geography
Location: Oceania, an atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, located about halfway between the Hawaiian Islands and Australia.
Geographical coordinates: 0° 13′ N. latitude, 176° 31’W
Reference map: Oceania.
Area: total: 1.4 square kilometers; land surface area: 1.4 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: Approximately 2.5 times the size of Mall Park in Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 4.8 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: equatorial; there is almost no rain, constant winds, withering sun.
Terrain: flat, almost flat coral island, bordered by a narrow reef.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m; highest point: unnamed point 8 m.
Natural resources: guano (deposits have been mined since 1891).
Land use: arable land: 0%; cultivated land: 0%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 0%; others: 100%.
Irrigated land: 0 sq. km. (1993).
Natural Hazards: The narrow reef that fringes the island can be a hazard to boats.
Current environmental issues: lack of fresh water. Note to the section “Geography”: treeless, sparse, sparse vegetation consisting of grasses, creeping plants and dwarf shrubs; mainly nesting, roosting and feeding places for seabirds, plovers and marine life.
International agreements on environmental protection:
Note to section ” Geography”:
Population
Population: the island is uninhabited; a 1942 note during World War II following Japanese air and sea attacks, American citizens were evacuated from the island; during the Second World War, it was occupied by US troops, who left the island at the end of hostilities; visiting the island is possible only with special permission from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, it is usually given only to scientists and teachers; the cemetery and the remains of the buildings of the former settlement are located in the center of the western coast of the island; the island is visited annually by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2001 est.).
Politics
Conventional long form: does not exist;
Common short form: Baker’s Island; Dependency Status: Unstated US Territory; operated from Washington, DC, by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service, is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Transport
Transport Railways: 0 km
Roads:
Ports and harbours: none; only anchorages on the high seas; note – in the center of the west coast of the island there is a pier.
Airports: 1 abandoned World War II airstrip, 1,665 m long; completely covered with vegetation and unsuitable for exploitation. Transport – note: there is a lighthouse in the center of the island’s west coast. Military Forces – Note: The United States is responsible for the defense of the island; the island is visited annually by the US Coast Guard.
