Marshall Islands
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
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 abbreviation: RMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District |
| Gevernment type | 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 |
| Capital |
name: Majuro
geographic coordinates: 7 05 N, 171 08 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | 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 |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| Internet country code | .mh |
| Ports and terminals | Majuro |
| Agriculture products | coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens |
| Industries | copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls |
| Geography |
| Location | Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
| Coordinates | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
| Continent | Oceania |
| Area |
total: 11,854.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km water: 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters) note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 370.4 km |
| Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
| Terrain | low coral limestone and sand islands |
| Natural resources | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
| Natural hazards | infrequent typhoons |
| People |
| Population | 60,422 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | Micronesian |
| Religions | Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) |
| Languages | Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)
note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages |
