Wake Island

views updated

Wake Island Largest of three small coral islands, known collectively as Wake Island, enclosing a lagoon in the w Pacific Ocean. The Spanish discovered the island in 1568, and the British named it in 1796. Annexed by the USA in 1898, Wake Island became a US naval base. It was captured by the Japanese in 1941, and recaptured by the USA in 1945.

More From encyclopedia.com