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- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Geography
- #IMAGE 49 66 TWPCX \maps\Marshall.PCX
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK Click Here for MAP
- Marshall Islands
- Geography
-
-
- Location:
- Oceania, 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 km2
- land area:
- 181.3 km2
- comparative area:
- slightly larger than Washington, DC
- note:
- includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetok, 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 km2
- Environment:
- occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30
- atolls and 1,152 islands
- Note:
- Bikini and Eniwetok are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous
- World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:People
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- People
-
-
- Population:
- 51,982 (July 1993 est.)
- Population growth rate:
- 3.87% (1993 est.)
- Birth rate:
- 46.65 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Death rate:
- 7.91 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Net migration rate:
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
- Infant mortality rate:
- 50.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- total population:
- 62.79 years
- male:
- 61.27 years
- female:
- 64.38 years (1993 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- 6.99 children born/woman (1993 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
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- Government
-
-
- Names:
- conventional long form:
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- conventional short form:
- Marshall Islands
- 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)
- Constitution:
- 1 May 1979
- Legal system:
- based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal,
- common, and customary laws
- National holiday:
- Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)
- Political parties and leaders:
- no formal parties; President KABUA is chief political (and traditional)
- leader
- Suffrage:
- 18 years of age; universal
- Elections:
- President:
- last held 6 January 1992 (next to be held NA; results - President Amata
- KABUA was reelected
- Parliament:
- last held 18 November 1991 (next to be held November 1995); results -
- percent of vote NA; seats - (33 total)
- Executive branch:
- president, Cabinet
- Legislative branch:
- unicameral Nitijela (parliament)
- Judicial branch:
- Supreme Court
- Leaders:
- Chief of State and Head of Government:
- President Amata KABUA (since 1979)
- Member of:
- AsDB, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, IMF, 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
- US diplomatic representation:
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador David C. FIELDS
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Government
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- Government
- embassy:
- NA address, Majuro
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379
- telephone:
- (011) 692-4011
- FAX:
- (011) 692-4012
- 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
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Economy
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- 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 - exchange rate conversion - $63 million (1989 est.)
- National product real growth rate:
- NA%
- National product per capita:
- $1,500 (1989 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- NA%
- Unemployment rate:
- NA%
- Budget:
- revenues $55 million; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
- $NA (1987 est.)
- Exports:
- $2.5 million (f.o.b., 1985)
- commodities:
- copra, copra oil, agricultural products, handicrafts
- partners:
- NA
- Imports:
- $29.2 million (c.i.f., 1985)
- commodities:
- foodstuffs, beverages, building materials
- partners:
- NA
- External debt:
- $NA
- Industrial production:
- growth rate NA%
- Electricity:
- 42,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 1,840 kWh per capita (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:
- under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US is to provide
- approximately $40 million in aid annually
- Currency:
- US currency is used
- Exchange rates:
- US currency is used
- Fiscal year:
- 1 October - 30 September
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Communications
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- Communications
-
-
- Highways:
- paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-,
- or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
- Ports:
- Majuro
- Merchant marine:
- 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,786,070 GRT/3,498,895 DWT; includes
- 2 cargo, 1 container, 9 oil tanker, 15 bulk carrier, 2 combination ore/oil;
- note - a flag of convenience registry
- Airports:
- total:
- 16
- usable:
- 16
- with permanent-surface runways:
- 4
- with runways over 3,659m:
- 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
-
- #ENDCARD
- #CARD:Marshall Islands:Defense Forces
- THE WORLD FACTBOOK
- Marshall Islands
- Defense Forces
-
-
- Note:
- defense is the responsibility of the US
-
- #ENDCARD
-
-
-