Marshall Islands

Republic of the Marshall Islands

constitutional government in free association with the US

Marshall Islands as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMajuro
Area181.3 km2
LocationOceania, in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between
1993

Every edition of Marshall Islands

Populationas each edition published it
51,982 people July 1993 est. · 43,417 in 1990
Population growth% a year
3.87% 1993 est. · 1.22% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 19.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
62.79 years 1993 est. · 75.2 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.99 children per woman 1993 est. · 5.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
50.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 43 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,500 1989 est. · $7,200 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 6% in 1994

Geography

Oceania, in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between | Hawaii and Papua New Guinea

14 fields

Land useshare of 181.3 km2

arable land 0%permanent crops 60%forest and woodland 0%other 40%meadows and pastures 0% in all
Area
181.3km2
land area: 181.3 km2comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DCnote: includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetok, and Kwajalein
Coastline
370.4km
land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

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

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

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

People

14 fields
Population
51,982
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 3.87% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
46.65Death
7.91Net migration
0

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years62.79
61.27 · 64.38
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy93%
100% · 88%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
Labor force
4,800
(1986)by occupation: NA

Infant mortality rate

50.5 deaths/1,000 live births (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

Government

Constitutional government in free association with the US

20 fields

Names

conventional long form:
Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form:
Marshall Islands
former:
Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)

Type

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986

Capital

Majuro

Independence

21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

Constitution

1 May 1979

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
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

Economy

Agriculture and tourism are the mainstays of the economy.

18 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,500
(1989 est.)

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.)

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

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

Communications

5 fields

Merchant marine, 29 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 2container 1oil tanker 9bulk carrier 15combination ore/oil; note - a flag of convenience registry 229 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,786,070 GRT/3,498,895 DWT

Highways

paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks

Ports

Majuro

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

Defense Forces

2 fields

Note

defense is the responsibility of the US

Affiliation

(overseas department of France)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Marshall Islands.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/marshall-islands/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →