Wake Island is a United States possession in the west-central Pacific Ocean.
It is a triangular atoll made up of three small coral islets, Wake, Peale, and Wilkes. They have about 300 people, all of whom are U.S. citizens. Wake's vegetation consists mainly of shrubs and bushes. Pacific Islands Spaniards probably sighted Wake when they explored the Pacific in the late 1500's. The British schooner Prince William Henry landed there in 1796.