Marshall Islands




                                 Geography


Location:
     Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of
     the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea
Map references:
     Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     181.3 sq km
land area:
     181.3 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly larger than Washington, DC
note:
     includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein
Land boundaries:
     0 km
Coastline:
     370.4 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     claims US territory of Wake Island
Climate:
     wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
Terrain:
     low coral limestone and sand islands
Natural resources:
     phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land:
     0%
permanent crops:
     60%
meadows and pastures:
     0%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     40%
Irrigated land:
     NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     inadequate supplies of safe drinking water
natural hazards:
     occasionally subject to typhoons




international agreements:
     party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
     Protection, Ship Pollution
Note:
     two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini
     and Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous
     World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range


                                  People


Population:
     54,031 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.86% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     46.31 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     7.68 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     49.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     63.13 years
male:
     61.6 years
female:
     64.74 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.94 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective:
     Marshallese
Ethnic divisions:
     Micronesian
Religions:
     Christian (mostly Protestant)
Languages:
     English (universally spoken and is the official language), two major
     Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
     93%
male:
     100%
female:
     88%
Labor force:
     4,800 (1986)
by occupation:
     NA






                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form:
former:
     Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Digraph:
     RM
Type:
     constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact
     of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986
Capital:
     Majuro
Administrative divisions:
     none
Independence:
     21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
     Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)
Constitution:
     1 May 1979
Legal system:
     based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
     municipal, common, and customary laws
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
     President Amata KABUA (since 1979); election last held 6 January 1992
     (next to be held NA; results - President Amata KABUA was reelected)
cabinet:
     Cabinet; president selects from the parliament
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Parliament (Nitijela):
     elections last held 18 November 1991 (next to be held November 1995);
     results - percent of vote NA; seats - (33 total)
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
     no formal parties; President KABUA is chief political (and
     traditional) leader
Member of:
     AsDB, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
     INTERPOL, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Wilfred I. KENDALL
chancery:
     2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008




telephone:
     (202) 234-5414
FAX:
     (202) 232-3236
consulate(s) general:
     Honolulu and Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador David C. FIELDS
embassy:
     NA address, Majuro
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379
telephone:
     (692) 625-4011
FAX:
     (692) 625-4012
Flag:
     blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner -
     orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and
     20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes


                                  Economy


Overview:
     Agriculture and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. Agricultural
     production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important
     commercial crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. A few
     cattle ranches supply the domestic meat market. Small-scale industry
     is limited to handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist
     industry is the primary source of foreign exchange and employs about
     10% of the labor force. The islands have few natural resources, and
     imports far exceed exports. In 1987 the US Government provided grants
     of $40 million out of the Marshallese budget of $55 million.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $63 million (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     6% (1992)
National product per capita:
     $1,500 (1992 est)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     7% (1992 est)
Unemployment rate:
     16% (1991 est)
Budget:
revenues:
     $55 million
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987 est.)
Exports:
     $3.9 million (f.o.b., 1992 est)
commodities:
     coconut oil, fish, live animals, trichus shells
partners:
     US, Japan, Australia




Imports:
     $62.9 million (c.i.f., 1992 est)
commodities:
     foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, beverages and tobacco, fuels
partners:
     US, Japan, Australia
External debt:
     $NA
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
     42,000 kW
production:
     80 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,840 kWh (1990)
Industries:
     copra, fish, tourism; craft items from shell, wood, and pearls;
     offshore banking (embryonic)
Agriculture:
     coconuts, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits, pigs, chickens
Economic aid:
recipient:
     under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US is to
     provide approximately $40 million in aid annually
Currency:
     1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     US currency is used
Fiscal year:
     1 October - 30 September


                              Communications


Highways:
total:
     NA
note:
     paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-,
     coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
Ports:
     Majuro
Merchant marine:
     40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,255,348 GRT/4,351,997 DWT,
     bulk carrier 23, cargo 2, combination ore/oil 1, container 1, oil
     tanker 13
note:
     a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
     16
usable:
     16




with permanent-surface runways:
     4
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     8
Telecommunications:
     telephone network - 570 lines (Majuro) and 186 (Ebeye); telex
     services; islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for
     government purposes); broadcast stations - 1 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV, 1
     shortwave; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; US Government
     satellite communications system on Kwajalein


                              Defense Forces


Note:
     defense is the responsibility of the US