Kingman Reef:
Geography


Background	The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge.

Location	Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa
Geographic coordinates	6 24 N, 162 22 W
Map references	Oceania
Area	total: 1 sq km land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries	0 km
Coastline	3 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	tropical; moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain	low and nearly level
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 1 m
Natural resources	terrestrial and aquatic wildlife
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Natural hazards	wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues	none
Geography - note	barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public