Wake Island is actually three low-lying coral islets in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, 3,700 km (2,300 miles) west of Honolulu with an area of only 2.5 square miles. It is a territory of the United States and is linked by causeways, they lie in a crescent on a reef, 4.5 miles long and 2 miles wide, surrounding a lagoon. Named after the the British mariner William Wake who visited the atoll in 1796, it was claimed by the United States in 1899. Featuring an airstrip, it became an overnight stop for Pacific flights and is still used in emergencies. Wake Island was occupied by the Japanes in WW2.
