Wake Island

Imagine a tiny island in the middle of the giant Pacific Ocean. That's Wake Island! It's not just one island, but three small ones named Wake, Wilkes, and Peale, all wrapped around a sparkly blue lagoon.

It's so far from other places that the closest neighbors are over 900 kilometers away! That's like driving across the whole country! The weather is warm and sunny, perfect for tropical plants to grow.

People might have visited Wake Island a super long time ago, maybe even before your grandparents were born! But the first time someone wrote about it was over 400 years ago. For a long time, nothing much happened there. Then, about 90 years ago, people built a special landing strip for airplanes that flew across the ocean. It was like a super cool rest stop for flying boats!

During a big war called World War II, soldiers from Japan took over Wake Island. It was a very important place! After the war ended, the United States took it back. Later, airplanes got so big they didn't need to stop anymore. But Wake Island is still used today by the U.S. military, and sometimes people who are helping others come to live there for a little while.

Even though it's small, Wake Island is home to lots of creatures! Thousands of hermit crabs scurry around, carrying their shells like little houses on their backs. There are also many kinds of seabirds that fly over the ocean and nest on the island. Sadly, a special bird called the Wake Island rail used to live there, but it disappeared a long time ago.