Marshall Islands

• Oceania, consists of 29 atolls and five isolated islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia;
• the atolls and islands are situated in two, almost-parallel island chains - the Ratak (Sunrise) group and the Ralik (Sunset) group;
• the total number of islands and islets is about 1,225;
• 22 of the atolls and four of the islands are uninhabited

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

mean elevation:

2 m

lowest point:

Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:

East-central Airik Island, Maloelap Atoll 14 m

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels;
• sea level rise

party to:

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• the islands of Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites;
• Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground, surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile test range;
• the island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific

noun:

Marshallese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Marshallese

0-14 years:

34.26% (male 13,224 /female 12,706)

15-24 years:

18.49% (male 7,117 /female 6,875)

25-54 years:

37.15% (male 14,318 /female 13,800)

55-64 years:

5.86% (male 2,221 /female 2,215)

65 years and over:

4.24% (male 1,580 /female 1,628) (2018 est.)

total:

23.1 years (2018 est.)

male:

23 years

female:

23.2 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.97 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

21.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

16.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

73.6 years (2018 est.)

male:

71.4 years

female:

76 years

conventional long form:

Republic of the Marshall Islands

conventional short form:

Marshall Islands

local long form:

Republic of the Marshall Islands

local short form:

Marshall Islands

former:

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District

abbreviation:

RMI

etymology:

named after British Captain John MARSHALL, who charted many of the islands in 1788

name:

• Majuro;
• note - the capital is an atoll of 64 islands;
• governmental buildings are housed on three fused islands:
  • Djarrit,
  • Uliga,
  • and Delap

geographic coordinates:

7 06 N, 171 23 E

time difference:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

effective 1 May 1979

amendments:

• proposed by the National Parliament or by a constitutional convention;
• passage by Parliament requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership in each of two readings and approval by a majority of votes in a referendum;
• amendments submitted by a constitutional convention require approval of at least two thirds of votes in a referendum;
• amended several times, last in 1995 (2018)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of the Marshall Islands

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Hilda C. HEINE (since 28 January 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Hilda C. HEINE (since 28 January 2016)

cabinet:

Cabinet nominated by the president from among members of the Nitijela, appointed by Nitijela speaker

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Nitijela from among its members for a 4-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 27 January 2016 (next to be held in 2020)

election results:

Hilda C. HEINE elected president; Parliament vote - Hilda C. HEINE 24 votes, she was the only candidate

note: Hilda C. HEINE is the first female elected head of state of any Pacific island nation

description:

bicameral National Parliament consists of:; Council of Iroij, a 12-member group of tribal leaders advises the Presidential Cabinet and reviews legislation affecting customary law or any traditional practice); members appointed to serve 1-year terms;

• Nitijela (33 seats; members in 19 single- and 5 multi-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms);
• note - legislative power resides in the Nitijela

elections:

last held on 16 November 2015 (next to be held by November 2019)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - independent 33;
• composition - men 28, women 5, percent of women 15.2%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 2 associate justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges appointed by the Cabinet upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission (consists of the chief justice of the High Court, the attorney general and a private citizen selected by the Cabinet) and upon approval of the Nitijela;
• the current chief justice, appointed in 2013, serves for 10 years;
• Marshallese citizens appointed as justices serve until retirement at age 72

subordinate courts:

• High Court;
• District Courts;
• Traditional Rights Court;
• Community Courts

• 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 - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Karen Brevard STEWART (since 25 July 2016)

telephone:

[692] 247-4011

embassy:

Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro

mailing address:

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

FAX:

[692] 247-4012

• blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white;
• a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays appears on the hoist side above the two stripes;
• blue represents the Pacific Ocean, the orange stripe signifies the Ralik Chain or sunset and courage, while the white stripe signifies the Ratak Chain or sunrise and peace;
• the star symbolizes the cross of Christianity, each of the 24 rays designates one of the electoral districts in the country and the four larger rays highlight the principal cultural centers of Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje, and Ebeye;
• the rising diagonal band can also be interpreted as representing the equator, with the star showing the archipelago's position just to the north

name:

Forever Marshall Islands

lyrics/music:

Amata KABUA

note: adopted 1981

agriculture:

11%

industry:

16.3%

services:

72.7% (2011 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

general assessment:

• some telecom infrastructure improvements made in recent years;
• modern services include fiber optic cable service, cellular, Internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits;
• the US Government, World Bank, UN and International Telecommunication Union (ITU), have aided in improvements and monetary aid to the islands telecom;
• mobile penetrations is around 30%;
• radio communication is especially vital to remote islands (2018)

domestic:

• Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones;
• other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones;
• fixed-line 3 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular is 21 per 100 persons (2018)

international:

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

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

86,868 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

2,028 km (2007)

paved:

75 km (2007)

unpaved:

1,953 km

total:

3,419

by type:

bulk carrier 1437, container ship 256, general cargo 68, oil tanker 837, other 821 (2018)

current situation:

• The Marshall Islands is a source and destination country for Marshallese women and girls and women from East Asia subjected to sex trafficking;
• Marshallese and foreign women are forced into prostitution in businesses frequented by crew members of fishing and transshipping vessels that dock in Majuro;
• some Chinese women are recruited to the Marshall Islands with promises of legitimate work and are subsequently forced into prostitution

tier rating:

• Tier 3 – The Marshall Islands do not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government made no anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, including developing a written plan to combat trafficking;
• no new trafficking investigations were opened in 2014, and no prosecutions or convictions were made for the fourth consecutive year;
• no efforts were made to identify trafficking victims, especially among women in prostitution or men working on foreign fishing vessels in Marshallese waters, and no attempt was made to ensure their access to protective services;
• limited awareness-raising events were conducted by an international organization (2015)