Marshall Islands officially Republic of the Marshall Islands, independent nation (2005 est. pop. 59,000), in the central Pacific. The Marshalls extend over a 700-mi (1,130-km) area and comprise two major groups: the Ratak Chain in the east, and the Ralik Chain in the west, with a total of 34 atolls, c.900 reefs, and a land area of 70 sq mi (181 sq km). The major atolls are Majuro , the capital; Arno; Ailinglaplap; Jaluit , with a fine natural harbor, the archipelago's chief trade center; and Kwajalein , the largest atoll and site of a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile test range.

The population of the Marshalls is largely Micronesian. Over 50% of the people are Protestants and there other Christian groups. Marshallese, a Malayo-Polynesian tongue, and English are the official languages; Japanese is also spoken.

Agriculture consists of subsistence farming and the commercial production of coconuts and breadfruit. Industry is limited to agricultural processing and tourism. Copra, coconut oil, handicrafts, and fish are the major exports; foods and beverages, machinery and equipment, fuels, and tobacco are imported. The United States, Japan, and Australia are the main trading partners. A large portion of the Marshallese economy is dependent on U.S. aid.

The Marshall Islands are governed under the constitution of 1979. The president, who is both head of state and head of government, is elected by the unicameral legislature (Nitijela) from among its members for a four-year term. The 33 legislators are popularly elected for four-year terms. Administratively, the country is divided into 33 municipalities.

History

Some of the islands were visited by Spanish explorers in the early 16th cent. They are named after a British captain who visited in 1788. Much mapping was done on Russian expeditions under Adam Johann von Krusenstern (1803) and Otto von Kotzebue (1815 and 1823). Germany annexed the group in 1885 and tried with little success to establish a colony. Administrative affairs continued to be managed largely by private German and Australian interests. In 1914, Japan seized the Marshalls and in 1920 received a League of Nations mandate over them.

In World War II the islands were taken by U.S. forces (1943-44); they were included in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947. After the war both Enewetak and Bikini atolls were used as U.S. nuclear weapons test sites. In 1983, the United States gave $183.7 million to the Marshalls for damages from the tests. The Marshalls became (1979) self-governing under U.S. military protection and achieved free-association status in 1986. The first president, Amata Kabua, died in Dec., 1996. Imata Kabua was elected to succeed him in Jan., 1997. Kabua was succeeded in Jan., 2000, by Kessai H. Note, who began a second term in 2004. An amended compact of free association, extending the defense relationship with the United States and the lease on the U.S. base on Kwajalein, was signed in 2003 and took effect in 2004. The legislative lections in 2007 were marked by controversy, but an opposition coalition came to power and Litokwa Tomeing was elected president in Jan. 2008.

Bibliography

See E. H. Bryan, Life in the Marshall Islands (1972).

Marshall Islands Republic in the w Pacific Ocean, e of the Caroline Islands, consisting of a group of atolls and coral reefs; the capital is Dalap-Uliga-Darrit (on Majuro Atoll). Spain first explored the islands in the early 16th century. Annexed to Germany in 1885, Japan occupied the group in 1914. US forces seized the islands in World War II. In 1947, the islands became part of the US-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Trusteeship ended in 1990, and in 1991 the islands became a full member state of the UN. They consist of two great chains, the Ralik (w) and the Ratak (e), which run almost parallel nw to se, covering an ocean area of 11,650sq km (4500sq mi). Products: copra, coconuts, tropical fruits, fish. Area: c.180sq km (70sq mi). Pop. (2000) 70,000.

http://www.rmiembassyus.org

Marshall Islands A country consisting of a cluster of 29 low-lying atolls and five islands in the central Pacific.

Physical

The archipelago comprises two parallel chains of islands, the Ratak (sunrise) chain to the east and the Ralik (sunset) chain to the west. The islands are coral caps over dome volcanoes and have a tropical climate.

Economy

Farming and fishing are the main economic activities. Coconut oil and copra are exported.

History

The islands were originally inhabited by Micronesians. They were sighted by European sailors in 1529 but were not exploited. The islands were named after a British captain who visited them in 1788. In 1886 the Marshall Islands became a German protectorate. After World War I the islands were administered by Japan, and after World War II they became a UN Trust Territory under US administration. From 1946 the US used BIKINI and other atolls in the group for atomic bomb tests. In 1986 they were given semi-independence in a ‘compact of free association’ in which the USA maintained control over military activities. The Trusteeship was terminated in 1990 and the country joined the United Nations the following year. Amata Kabua became President in 1980; he was re-elected in 1984, 1988, and 1992. The islands, which have the highest reported rates of certain cancers in the world, were used by the USA as sites for the testing of nuclear weapons (1946–58). In 1992 the US government made the first payments of compensation for personal injury to islanders. In 1993 the Australian government commissioned the building in the islands of a research station to monitor changes in sea-level; even a comparatively small rise in sea-level could submerge the entire country.