Marshall Islands

After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.

• tropical;
• hot and humid;
• wet season from May to November;
• islands border typhoon belt

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands;
• Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites;
• Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

0-14 years:

38.6% (male 11,347; female 10,934)

15-64 years:

58.7% (male 17,380; female 16,520)

65 years and over:

2.7% (male 748; female 809) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.93 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Marshallese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Marshallese

conventional long form:

Republic of the Marshall Islands

conventional short form:

Marshall Islands

former:

Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)

• constitutional government in free association with the US;
• the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004

• traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties;
• what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures;
• the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Banny DE BRUM

chancery:

2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-5414

FAX:

[1] (202) 232-3236

consulate(s) general:

Honolulu

chief of mission:

Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS

embassy:

Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro

mailing address:

P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379

telephone:

[692] 247-4011

FAX:

[692] 247-4012

• 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

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits

domestic:

• Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones;
• other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)

international:

• country code - 692;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean);
• US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)

total:

NA km

paved:

64.5 km

unpaved:

NA km

note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)