A V-shaped coral atoll in the central Pacific, an unincorporated U.S. territory used as a military airfield with a heroic 1941 defense.
Geography
Wake Island consists of three islets — Wake, Wilkes, and Peale — surrounding a central lagoon. It lies about 3,700 km west of Hawaii and 2,400 km southeast of Tokyo, in some of the loneliest waters on Earth.
Battle of Wake Island
A small U.S. Marine garrison resisted the Japanese invasion in December 1941 for 16 days. After surrender, 98 American civilian contractors held on Wake were executed by Japanese troops in 1943.
Today
The U.S. Air Force operates Wake Island Airfield as a divert facility for trans-Pacific flights. Civilian access is severely restricted; a small contractor team and rotating military personnel staff the base.