Marshall Islands
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of the Marshall Islands
CAPITAL CITY: Majuro (Dalap-Uliga-Darrit)
POPULATION: 60,000 (2007)
AREA: 180 km²
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): English, Marshallese
RELIGION: Protestants 63%, Catholics 7%, Mormons 3%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, others 26%
COIN: US dollars
CURRENCY CODE: USD
ENGLISH NAME: Marshall Islands
INDEPENDENCE: 1986
POPULATION COMPOSITION: micronesians 99%, others 1%
GDP PER residents: $ 2037 (2007)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 68 years, women 72 years (2005)
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: -
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: -
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .mh
Marshall Islands, (after the British explorer John Marshall, who
visited the islands in 1788 and later mapped them), Marshall Islands,
since 1986 independent ear republic of Micronesia in the western Pacific; one of
the micronations in the area. The Marshall Islands were a German, later
Japanese, colony, and after World War II part of the US-led area of the
Pacific. The country remains closely linked to the United States and entirely
dependent on transfers from it.
National flag
The flag was officially adopted in 1979, when the islands gained local
autonomy. The dark blue color symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, the transverse
stripe represents the equator, the orange color stands for richness and bravery,
the white for the light. The 24 thanks to the star represent the islands' 24
municipalities, the four longest thanks to the country's capital and three
administrative centers. They form a cross to show that the population is
Christian.
Geography
The island consists of two long rows of atolls, Ratak and Ralik, which are
150-200 km apart NW of Kiribati. The climate is tropically humid with a long
rainy season from April to December. The country's highest point is less than 7
meters above sea level. The most important atoll is Majuro with a 114 km2 large
lagoon surrounded by 64 small islands. Three of these, Dalap, Uliga and Darrit,
form the country's economic and administrative center, DUD. From here
to the most distant atolls there are over 1000 km, and the total lake territory
is over 2 million km2.

In 1947-86, the islands actually functioned as an American colony, and they
played a strategic role in the development of the U.S. military; first as a test
area for nuclear and hydrogen weapons (see Bikini and Eniwetok). The large
military base on Kwajalein continues to play an important role in rocket and
space projects as well as in the US Missile Shield Project, SDI (Strategic
Defense Initiative).
The Marshall Islands are an extreme example of an addiction economy; the
local business community is extremely weakly developed, and a large part of the
workforce is publicly employed - predominantly in DUD, which has attracted many
residents from other islands. According to
AllCityPopulation.com, DUD and the small Ebeye in the Kwajaleinatollen
are the most densely populated areas of the Pacific Ocean; on Ebeyes 30 ha live
approximately 7,000 Marshallese (over 20,000 residents per km2)
adjacent to the bases on the other side of the lagoon. In contrast, the remote
atolls still house small self-sufficient communities of coconut farming and
coastal fishing. Tourism, which is growing strongly in most of the region, is
insignificant in the Marshall Islands. Perhaps Bikini in particular can attract
tourists; in its lagoon lies the wreck of the USS Saratoga, reportedly
the only aircraft carrier wreck that can be explored with standard scuba diving
equipment.

- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Marshall
Islands? Check this site to see population pyramid and resident density
about this country.
History
The population speaking dialects of an Austronesian language, originates in
South-East Asia. The Marshall Islands had probably been inhabited for several
centuries when Spanish sailors in 1526 got them in sight. Early European
accounts describe society as matrilinearly organized. A number of small
kingdoms, divided into several social classes and led by chiefs, waged frequent
wars against each other. The material culture and not least the canoe building
was at a relatively high level, and the complex class structure still exists in
today's society. In the 1700's and 1800's. began a stronger influence from foreign
whalers, merchants, and missionaries. A German protectorate was established in
1886, in 1914 the islands were occupied by Japan, and during World War II the
United States took control after heavy fighting and held the islands in 1947-86
as part of its Pacific territories. The colossal dependence on the United States
has meant that the islands did not achieve autonomy until 1986. To maintain a
deal that secures base rights, the United States provides $ 700 million. dollars
in assistance over a 15-year period.
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