| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands
former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
| Capital: |
Majuro |
| Location: |
Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
9 00 N, 168 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 181.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik |
| Area
Comparative: |
about the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
370.4 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
| Climate: |
tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
| Terrain: |
low coral limestone and sand islands |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
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 |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje |
| Independence |
21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National
Holiday: |
Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) |
| Constitution: |
1 May 1979 |
| Legal
System; |
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007)
election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court; High Court |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
59,071 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 11,488/female 11,071)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 17,887/female 17,023)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 771/female 831) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 19.95 years
male: 19.98 years
female: 19.92 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese |
| Ethnic groups: |
Micronesian |
| Religions: |
Micronesian |
| Languages: |
English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
4,500 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
600 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
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) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0
note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
2 (both are US military stations) (2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.mh |
| Internet hosts: |
6 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
1,400 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 64.5 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) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Majuro |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 83, cargo 47, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil 12, container 88, liquefied gas 16, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 192, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 462 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 2, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 2, Georgia 1, Germany 124, Greece 106, Hong Kong 7, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 5, Latvia 6, Monaco 9, Netherlands 4, New Zealand 1, Norway 21, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 1, Turkey 11, Ukraine 1, UAE 3, United Kingdom 15, United States 112) (2005) |
| Airports: |
15 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
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