Geography
According to bridgat, the country of Marshall Islands is made up of twenty-nine atolls and five islands. The most important in turn form two groups: the Rataka Chain and the Ralik Chain (in Marshallese “sunrise” and “sunset” respectively). The government of the country has made territorial claims for the sovereignty of Wake Island, to the north of the archipelago, administered by the United States, under the name of Enen-kio.
The inhabited atolls are:
- Ailinginae
- Ailinglaplap
- Ailuk
- Arno
- Aur
- Bikar
- Bikini
- Bokak
- Ebon
- Enewetak
- Erikub
- Jabat
- Jaluit
- Jemo
- Kili
- Kwajalein
- The e
- Lib
- Likiep
- Majuro
- Maloelap
- Mejit
- Milli
- Namdrik
- Namu
- Rongrik
- Toke
- Ujae
- Ujelang
- Utirik
- Wotho
- Wotje
Climate
The climate is hot and humid, with a dry season from May to November. Occasionally suffers from Typhoons.
Economy
Aid from the United States government is the main pillar of the economy. Agricultural production is concentrated in small farms and the most important cash crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons and the breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, fish processing and Copra. The tourism industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the workforce, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources and imports far outweigh exports.
Two thirds of the national population live in the capital Majuro and in the city of Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to the scarcity of employment opportunities and economic development. Life in the outer atolls is generally still quite traditional and the nutrition of the rural population who harvest and hunt is superior to that of the urban residents who eat rice.
In 2005 Aloha Airlines canceled its flight services to the Marshall Islands as part of its withdrawal from various markets in the region. Although other international airlines continue to land in Majuro, this is a setback in the country’s wishes to increase tourism revenue.
Under the terms of the amended Compact of Free Association, the United States will provide millions of dollars each year to the Marshall Islands until 2023, when a trust fund created by contributions from the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands will begin to be effective. annually.
Not among the 179 member countries of the ILO, the Marshall Islands is among the handful of countries not required to comply with basic labor standards (elimination of forced labor, child labor and discrimination and respect for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining) as required by ILO members.
Demography
According to statistics from 2003, the population of the archipelago amounts to 56,429 people, of which the majority practice Mormonism and 93.7% could read and write. However, the average life expectancy is very low compared to the rest of the countries, as it does not exceed 67 and a half years for men or 71 and a half years for women, in addition to having a fairly high fertility rate (4.12 children per woman). The birth rate has not had a significant impact on the population due to the high percentage of migration to the Island of Guam or to the state of Hawaii, which are part of the United States.
The unemployment rate is 31%, that is, more than a quarter of the population.
Religion
1999 Census:
- United Church of Christ-Congregational in the Marshall Islands77% (27,849)
- Assemblies of God 79% (13,112) – Assemblies of God in the Marshall Islands
- Catholic Church 37% (4,255) – Catholic Church in the Marshall Islands
- Bukot nan Jesus 2,8% (Assemblies of God, 2)
- Mormon Church 2.1% – Mormonism in the Marshall Islands
- Seventh-day Adventist Church 9% – Adventists in the Marshall Islands
- Full Gospel Church7%
- Atheism 5% – Atheism in Marshall Islands
- Bahamian 6% – Bahamian in the Marshall Islands
- Other Christians 1.4%
- Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Others 1.07%
- Islamism
1973 Census:
- Protestantism 89.92% (22,648)
- Catholic Church 8.67% (2,183)
- Atheism 0.33% (83)
- Others 0.45% (114)
- Animism 0.02% (5)
Culture
Although it is an activity currently in decline, the Marshallese were once skilled navigators, using stars and shell maps to get their bearings. They also had extensive experience building canoes, and to this day there is an annual competition that includes a unique type of ocean canoe called a bow.
Also, from the past, I was very present the art of tattooing in the Marshall islands covering a large part of the body, so much so that in October of the 1529 when the expedition of Alvaro de Saavedra, on his return from the Philippines landed on a reef to the northwest of the islands, he was so impressed by the tattoos that they called the islands “Islas de los Pintados” and took some indigenous people with them to display them at the Spanish court.
Ethnic groups
Census (2006)
- Marshallese 92.1%
- Marshal mixes 5.9%
- Other 2%
Census (2000)
- Marshallese 88.5%
- White Americans 6.5%
- Pacific and Southeast Asia 5%
1999 Census
- Chinese 130
- Carolinian 81
- Korean 51
- Palauan 18
- Japanese 16
- Filipinos 12
- Other Asians 39
- Other micronesians 137
Data
- It has 370 km of coastline and its only major port is Majuro, which is in the capital.
- It is a member of the UN and APEC.
- It has a maximum height of 9 meters, which is why it is a country in danger of disappearing due to rising sea levels.
- It has a population growth rate of 2.2%.
- Its national holidays are: September 17 (Independence Day) and May 1 (Constitution Day).
- It has deposits of phosphates, marine products and minerals.
