Baker Island
Baker Island is an uninhabited unincorporated territory of the United States—one of the smallest U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. It is in Polynesia, a region of the Pacific Ocean, north of Kiribati, roughly halfway between Hawaii and mainland Australia.
Understand[edit]
Or maybe not In the early 2000s, a writer of "alternate histories" put up a web site which presented itself as the official site of the government of the "Republic of Baker Howland and Jarvis", portraying a bustling tourism destination, including a fake CIA World Factbook article providing statistics for the island nation. The web site is no longer online, but puzzled more than a few armchair travelers. |
History[edit]
The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island—as well as on nearby Howland Island—but it was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island is now a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast.
Landscape[edit]
Low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef. Treeless, sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife.
Flora and fauna[edit]
Climate[edit]
Equatorial: scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun.
Get in[edit]

By plane[edit]

There is an abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m (5,463 ft), completely covered with vegetation and unusable.
By boat[edit]
There is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast.
Fees and permits[edit]
Public entry is by special-use permit[dead link] from US Fish and Wildlife Service and generally restricted to scientists and educators.
See[edit]
There are a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement near the middle of the west coast.
Do[edit]
Buy, eat and drink[edit]
There is no economic activity on Baker Island.
Sleep[edit]
There is no accommodation on Baker Island.
Stay healthy[edit]
There are no natural sources of fresh water on Baker Island—come with some distilled water and purification tablets.
Go next[edit]