Marshall Islands | Facts & Information

Updated October 31, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

Marshall Islands Profile
History
News and Current Events

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Map of Marshall Islands

Facts & Figures

President: David Kabua (2020)

Total area: 70 sq mi (181 sq km), includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetok, and Kwajalein

Population (2022 est.): 79,906 (growth rate: 1.34%); birth rate: 22/1000; infant mortality rate: 21.66/1000; life expectancy: 74.65

Capital and largest city (2018 est.): Majuro, 31,000

Monetary unit: U.S. Dollar

Current government officials

Languages: Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Ethnicity/race: Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006)

Religions: Protestant 80.5% (United Church of Christ 47%, Assembly of God 16.2%, Bukot Nan Jesus 5.4%, Full Gospel 3.3%, Reformed Congressional Church 3%, Salvation Army 1.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, Meram in Jesus 1.2%, other Protestant 1.1%), Roman Catholic 8.5%, Church of Jesus Christ 7%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 1.2%, none 1.1% (2011 est.)

National Holiday: Constitution Day, May 1

Literacy rate: 98.3% (2011)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2019 est.): $240 million; per capita $4,000. Real growth rate: 2.5%. Inflation: 0%. Unemployment: 36%. Arable land: 7.8%. Agriculture: coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens. Labor force: 10,670 (2013 est); agriculture 11%, industry 16.3%, services 72.7% (2011). Industries: copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls. Natural resources: coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals. Exports: $130 million (2018): copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish. Major trading partners (exports): Poland 28%, Denmark 19%, South Korea 13%, Indonesia 10%, Cyprus 6% (2019). Imports: $170 million (2018): foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages, and tobacco. Major trading partners (imports): South Korea 39%, China 27%, Japan 15% (2019).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 2,361 (2018); mobile cellular: 16,000 (2020). Broadcast media: no TV broadcast station; a cable network is available on Majuro with programming via videotape replay and satellite relays; 4 radio broadcast stations; American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) provides satellite radio and television service to Kwajalein Atoll (2019). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (2012). Internet users: 22,929 (2019).

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Roadways: total: 2,028 (includes 75 km of expressways). Ports and harbors: Enitwetak Island, Kwajalein, Majuro. Airports: 15 (2021).

International disputes: claims U.S. territory of Wake Island.

Major sources and definitions

Geography

The Marshall Islands, east of the Carolines, are divided into two chains: the western, or Ralik, group, including the atolls Jaluit, Kwajalein, Wotho, Bikini, and Eniwetok; and the eastern, or Ratak, group, including the atolls Mili, Majuro, Maloelap, Wotje, and Likiep. The islands are of coral reef types and rise only a few feet above sea level. The Marshall Islands comprise an area slightly larger than Washington, DC.

Government

Constitutional government in free association with the U.S.

History

Micronesian peoples were the first inhabitants of the archipelago. The islands were explored by the Spanish in the 16th century and were named for a British captain in 1788. Germany unsuccessfully attempted to colonize the islands in 1885. Japan claimed them in 1914, but after several battles during World War II, the U.S. seized them from the Japanese. In 1947, the UN made the island group, along with the Mariana and Caroline archipelagos, a U.S. trust territory.

U.S. Nuclear Testing

U.S. nuclear testing took place between 1946 and 1958 on the islands of Bikini and Eniwetok. The people of Bikini were removed to another island, and a total of 23 U.S. atomic and hydrogen bomb tests were conducted. Despite cleanup attempts, the islands remain uninhabited today because of nuclear contamination. The U.S. paid the islands $183.7 million in damages in 1983, and in 1999, the U.S. approved a one-time $3.8-million payment to the relocated people of Bikini atoll.

Kwajalein atoll is the site of an American military base and has been used for missile defense testing since the 1960s.

Signing the Compact of Free Association and United Nations Admission

The United States and the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association in 1986, which meant the islands became self-governing but would receive U.S. military and economic aid, roughly $65 million a year. The Marshall Islands were admitted to the UN on Sept. 17, 1991.

In 2000, Kessai Note became the first commoner to become president—his predecessors had been island chiefs. He ran on an anticorruption ticket and is attempting to make his small nation more self-sufficient. In 2003, the U.S. and the Marshall Islands agreed on a new Compact of Free Association, an extension of the lease to use the Kwajalein military base in exchange for economic aid. In Jan. 2004, Parliament reelected President Note.

World's Largest Shark Sanctuary Declared

Over 772,000 square miles of ocean was declared a shark sanctuary by the government in Oct. 2011. The area became the largest shark sanctuary in the world. Fishing for sharks is banned.

On Jan. 3, 2012, the Nitijela, the 33-member legislature, elected Christopher Loeak president. Loeak defeated incumbent Jurelang Zedkaia by 21 to 11 votes.

In early Jan. 2016, the Nitijela elected Casten Nemra president. Nemra narrowly defeated seven-term Parliament member, Senator Alvin Jacklick by 17-16 votes. Nemra assumed office on Jan. 11. He became the youngest person to hold the office.

See also Encyclopedia: Marshall Islands .

U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Marshall Islands

Office of Planning and Statistics www.rmiembassyus.org .