Marshall Islands Geography and Population

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. 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.