Marshall Islands
Capital: Majuro · Micronesia
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an archipelagic country in Oceania.
Photo: Yanajin33, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Continental Air Micronesia CO956 - Island hopping flight from Guam to Honolulu, stopping at Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kwajalein and Majuro
Photo: Matt Kieffer, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Did you know?
The territory consists of 29 coral atolls, five main islands, and 1,220 other very small ones, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 98.47% of its territory is lagoon waters, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. The country shares maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west. The capital and largest city is Majuro, home to approximately half of the country's population. The Marshall Islands are one of only four atoll-based nations, along with Kiribati, The Maldives, and Tuvalu.
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Images from a trip to the islet of Eneko in Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Photo: Cliff Hansen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Photo: Christopher Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
"Marshall Group, Jaliut Lagoon, sailing canoe on starboard tack brailed up to "spill" the wind which is too fresh." from http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/fish7613.htm
Photo: NOAA, Public domain · source
History
Linguistic and anthropological studies have suggested that the first Austronesian settlers of the Marshall Islands arrived from the Solomon Islands. Radiocarbon dating suggests that Bikini Atoll may have been inhabited as early as 1200 BCE, though samples may not have been collected from secure stratigraphic contexts and older driftwood samples may have affected results. Archaeological digs on other atolls have found evidence of human habitation dating around the 1st century CE at the village of Laura on Majuro and on Kwajalein Atoll.
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Bikini Islanders board a landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) as they depart from Bikini Atoll in March 1946,
Photo: United States Navy, Public domain · source
Images of/from Bikrin Islet, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Photo: Cliff Hansen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Geography
The Marshall Islands sit atop ancient submerged volcanoes rising from the ocean floor, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated States of Micronesia, and south of the disputed U.S. territory of Wake Island, to which it also lays claim. The atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak (sunrise) and the Ralik (sunset). The two island chains lie approximately parallel to one another, running northwest to southeast, comprising about 750,000 square miles (1,900,000 km2) of ocean but only about 70 square miles (180 km2) of land mass. Each includes 15 to 18 islands and atolls.
Wikipedia: Marshall Islands – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Christopher Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Photo: Christopher Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Demographics
Historical population figures for the Marshall Islands are unknown. In 1862, the population of the Islands was estimated at 10,000. In 1960, the population of the Islands was approximately 15,000. The 2021 census counted 42,418 residents, 23,156 of whom (approximately 54.6%) lived on Majuro. 77.7% of the population lived in an urban setting on Majuro or Ebeye, the country's secondary urban center. This figure excludes Marshall Islands natives who have relocated elsewhere; the Compact of Free Association allows them to freely relocate to the United States and obtain work there.
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Government
The government of the Marshall Islands operates under a mixed parliamentary-presidential system as set forth in its 1979 Constitution. Elections are held every four years in universal suffrage (for all citizens above 18), with each of the twenty-four constituencies electing one or more representatives (senators) to the lower house of RMI's unicameral legislature, the Nitijela. (Majuro, the capital atoll, elects five senators.) The President, who is head of state as well as head of government, is elected by the 33 senators of the Nitijela. Four of the five Marshallese presidents who have been elected since the Constitution was adopted in 1979 have been traditional paramount chiefs.
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Sports
Major sports played in the Marshall Islands include volleyball, basketball (primarily by men), baseball, football and a number of water sports. The Marshall Islands has been represented at the Olympics at all games since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Marshall Islands were represented by two swimmers. The Marshall Islands also competes in the Pacific Games every four years, winning five gold medals at the 2023 edition of the games, all in weightlifting.
The Marshall Islands have a small club football league, including Kobeer as the most successful club.
Wikipedia: Marshall Islands – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Economy
The islands have few natural resources, and their imports far exceed exports. According to the CIA, the value of exports in 2013 was approximately $53.7 million while estimated imports were $133.7 million. Agricultural products include coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits, pigs and chickens. Industry is made of the production of copra and craft items, tuna processing and tourism. The GDP in 2016 was an estimated $180 million, with a real growth rate of 1.7%. The GDP per capita was $3,300.
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Education
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) finds that the Marshall Islands are fulfilling only 66.1% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income. HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration the Marshall Islands' income level, the nation is achieving 65.5% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and 66.6% for secondary education.
The Ministry of Education is the education agency of the islands. Marshall Islands Public School System operates the state schools in the Marshall Islands.
Wikipedia: Marshall Islands – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0
Transportation
The Marshall Islands are served by the Marshall Islands International Airport in Majuro, the Bucholz Army Airfield in Kwajalein, and other small airports and airstrips. Airlines serving the country include United Airlines, Nauru Airlines, Air Marshall Islands, and Asia Pacific Airlines.
Wikipedia: Marshall Islands – read more, CC BY-SA 4.0