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An American P.O.W. on Wake Island who was being held by the Japanese, escaped, carved "98 US PW 5-10-43" on a rock, but then was recaptured.

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Wake Island is located in the Pacific Ocean. It's 2.300 miles west of Honolulu, and northeast of Australia. Wake Island is halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines.

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Wake Island was discovered by the British in 1796, but it was officially annexed by the United States in 1899. It was under US control in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. The Battle of Wake Island happened there at the same time as the Pearl Harbor bombing. Japan gained control of Wake Island, and set up POW camps for the soldiers and citizens living there. Two years later, in 1943, the commander of the Island was scared that American POWs would rise up against them, so he killed all of them. Japan surrendered in 1945, and American troops took over again. Since then, Wake Island has been used as a military base, and it has no ports and only limited access to it's military controlled airfield.

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Wake Island has two telephone numbers. Both of the numbers go to the Pearl Harbor Exchange.

It is 17 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time

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Wake Island is under the control of the United States air force, and it also has research stations far the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The population is about 200, but there aren't any permanent residents.  All food and goods are imported the the Island.  There are no private or commercial flights to the Island. The Island has a Tropical Climate with very little rainfall.

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There were no native populations living on Wake Island, and there was no opposition when America annexed it in 1899. However, during WWII almost 50 years later, Japan attacked and took it over for four years, before surrendering it back to the U.S.

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Wake Island is less than three square miles! It is the biggest of the three islands that make up the atoll. The highest elevation is around 21 ft. and it is, as an average, 12 ft. above sea level.

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The United States annexed Wake Island in 1899. The United States gained control of the Island because it was unclaimed territory that could be used for research and military purposes.

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Britannica
New World Encyclopedia
Today I Found Out
Defense Media 1
Defense Media 2
CIA
Department of the Interior
Wikitravel (Image)
Department of the Interior
CBS
Google Maps
Padlet
Info Please

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Wake Island is now used as a military base by the U.S., but was previously inhabited besides the many birds.