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Marshall Islands
 
Republic of the Marshall Islands

Geography
Area: 181 sq. km. (about 70 sq. mi.) of land area scattered over 750,000 sq. mi. of the Western Pacific.
Cities: Capital--Majuro (pop. 25,000 in 2005). Other towns--Ebeye (12,000 in 2005), Jaluit (1,700 est. 2005).
Terrain: 29 low-lying coral atolls and five single islands.
Climate: Tropical with a wet season from May to November.


People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Marshallese.
Population (2005 est.): 56,417. (Figures not adjusted for migration to the U.S., where Marshallese colonies of unknown size exist.)
Annual growth rate (2004): 2.27%.
Ethnic groups: 90% Marshallese, 10% estimated U.S., Filipino, Chinese, New Zealander, Australian, other Micronesian (FSM), Kiribati, Korean, and Fijian.
Religions: Christian, mostly Protestant.
Languages: Two major Marshallese dialects from Malayo-Polynesian family; English;
Education: Literacy (2002)--98% (officially based on question, "Do you read the bible?").
Health: Infant mortality rate--(2004) 2.3%, under age 5 mortality rate 4.8%. Life expectancy--men 65.7 yrs.; women 69.4 yrs.
Work force (14,677: 66% employed, 34% unemployed): Services, including government--64%; construction and services--18%; agriculture and fishing--18%.

Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy in free association with the U.S. A Compact of Free Association entered into force in 1986 and an Amended Compact entered into force May 1, 2004.
Independence: October 21, 1986 from the U.S.-administered UN trusteeship.
Constitution: May 1, 1979.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), cabinet. Legislative--unicameral parliament (Nitijela) and consultative Council of Iroij (traditional leaders). Judicial--Supreme Court, high court, district and community courts, traditional rights court.
Political parties: United Democratic and Ailin Kein Ad (Our Islands).
Suffrage: Universal at age 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 24 local governments.

Economy
GDP (current market prices, 2004): $135.3 million est.
Natural resources: Marine resources, including mariculture and possible deep seabed minerals.
Agriculture: Products--Copra (dried coconut meat); taro and breadfruit are subsistence crops.
Industry: Types--Copra processing, fish processing, tourism, pearl farming, handicrafts.
Trade: Major trading partners--U.S., Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan.
Official currency: U.S. dollar.

GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
The Marshall Islands is comprised of 29 atolls and five single islands, which form two parallel groups--the "Ratak" (sunrise) chain and the "Ralik"(sunset) chain. Two-thirds of the nation's population lives in Majuro and Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic development.

The Marshallese are of Micronesian origin, which is traced to a combination of peoples who emigrated from Southeast Asia in the remote past. The matrilineal Marshallese culture revolves around a complex system of clans and lineages tied to land ownership.

Virtually all Marshallese are Christian, most of them Protestant. Other Christian denominations include Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Mormon, Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witness. A small Bahai community also exists.

Marshallese is the official language. English is spoken to some extent by most of the adult urban population. However, both the Nitijela (parliament) and national radio use Marshallese.

The public school system provides education through grade 12, although admission to secondary school is selective. The elementary program employs a bilingual/bicultural curriculum. English is introduced in the fourth grade. Many Marshallese and American observers have lamented the poor state of the public education system as a major stumbling block to economic development. The Marshall Islands' largest secondary institution--the 2-year College of the Marshall Islands--has experienced U.S. accreditation problems since 2003. However, thanks to an increase in funding, it has shown steady improvement since and is heading toward full accreditation. The University of the South Pacific offers courses at a small campus on Majuro.

HISTORY
Little is clearly understood about the prehistory of the Marshall Islands. Researchers agree on little more than that successive waves of migratory peoples from Southeast Asia spread across the Western Pacific about 3,000 years ago and that some of them landed on and remained on these islands. The Spanish explorer de Saavedra landed there in 1529. They were named for English explorer John Marshall, who visited them in 1799. The Marshall Islands were claimed by Spain in 1874.

Germany established a protectorate in 1885 and set up trading stations on the islands of Jaluit and Ebon to carry out the flourishing copra (dried coconut meat) trade. Marshallese Iroij (high chiefs) continued to rule under indirect colonial German administration.

At the beginning of World War I, Japan assumed control of the Marshall Islands. Their headquarters remained at the German center of administration, Jaluit. U.S. Marines and Army troops took control from the Japanese in early 1944, following intense fighting on Kwajalein and Enewetak atolls. In 1947, the United States, as the occupying power, entered into an agreement with the UN Security Council to administer Micronesia, including the Marshall Islands, as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

On May 1, 1979, in recognition of the evolving political status of the Marshall Islands, the United States recognized the constitution of the Marshall Islands and the establishment of the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The constitution incorporates both American and British constitutional concepts.

GOVERNMENT
The legislative branch of the government consists of the Nitijela (parliament) with an advisory council of high chiefs. The Nitijela has 33 members from 24 districts elected for concurrent 4-year terms. Members are called senators. The president is elected by the Nitijela from among its members. Presidents pick cabinet members from the Nitijela. Amata Kabua was elected as the first president of the republic in 1979. Subsequently, he was re-elected to 4-year terms in 1983, 1987, 1991, and 1996. After Amata Kabua's death in office, his first cousin, Imata Kabua, won a special election in 1997. The current president's party was re-elected in the general elections of November 2003, and President Note was reaffirmed in office in January 2004.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has four court systems: Supreme Court, high court, district and community courts, and the traditional rights court. Trial is by jury or judge. Jurisdiction of the traditional rights court is limited to cases involving titles or land rights or other disputes arising from customary law and traditional practice.

Marshall Islands