Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
_#_Terrain: very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
_#_Natural resources: fish
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: severe tropical storms are rare
_#_Note: located 3,000 km east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
_*People #_Population: 9,317 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)