Match 155 DB Rec# - 7,607 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Marshall Islands
Text :
Marshall Islands
Geography
Location:
Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total area:
181.3 sq km
land area:
181.3 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
note:
includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
370.4 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
claims US territory of Wake Island
Climate:
wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
Terrain:
low coral limestone and sand islands
Natural resources:
phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
60%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
40%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards:
occasional typhoons
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
Note:
two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and
Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War
II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
People
Population:
56,157 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
51% (female 13,950; male 14,547)
15-64 years:
47% (female 12,801; male 13,470)
65 years and over:
2% (female 740; male 649) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.86% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
46.03 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
7.48 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
48 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
63.49 years
male:
61.94 years
female:
65.11 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.89 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Marshallese
Ethnic divisions:
Micronesian
Religions:
Christian (mostly Protestant)
Languages:
English (universally spoken and is the official language), two major
Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
93%
male:
100%
female:
88%
Labor force:
4,800 (1986)
by occupation:
NA
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form:
Marshall Islands
former:
Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Digraph:
RM
Type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of
Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986
Capital:
Majuro
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 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 and head of government:
President Amata KABUA (since 1979); election last held 6 January 1992 (next
to be held NA); results - President Amata KABUA was reelected
cabinet:
Cabinet; president selects from the parliament
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Parliament (Nitijela):
elections last held 18 November 1991 (next to be held November 1995);
results - percent of vote NA; seats - (33 total) independents 33
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
no formal parties; President KABUA is chief political (and traditional)
leader
Member of:
AsDB, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
INTERPOL, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Wilfred I. KENDALL
chancery:
2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-5414
FAX:
[1] (202) 232-3236
consulate(s) general:
Honolulu and Los Angeles
Government
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador David C. FIELDS
embassy:
address NA, Majuro
mailing address:
P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379
telephone:
[692] 247-4011
FAX:
[692] 247-4012
Flag:
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
Economy
Overview:
Agriculture and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. Agricultural
production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important commercial
crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. A few cattle ranches
supply the domestic meat market. Small-scale industry is limited to
handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry is the primary
source of foreign exchange and employs about 10% of the labor force. The
islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. The US
Government provides about 70% of the budget.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $75 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6% (1992)
National product per capita:
$1,500 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
16% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$106 million
expenditures:
$128.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993)
Exports:
$3.9 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
coconut oil, fish, live animals, trichus shells
partners:
US, Japan, Australia
Imports:
$62.9 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, beverages and tobacco, fuels
partners:
US, Japan, Australia
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
42,000 kW
production:
80 million kWh
consumption per capita:
1,840 kWh (1990)
Industries:
copra, fish, tourism; craft items from shell, wood, and pearls; offshore
banking (embryonic)
Agriculture:
coconuts, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits, pigs, chickens
Economic aid:
recipient:
under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US is to provide
approximately $40 million in aid annually
Currency:
1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Economy
Exchange rates:
US currency is used
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Transportation
Railroads:
0 km
Highways:
total:
NA
note:
paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-,
or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
Ports:
Majuro
Merchant marine:
total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,205,275 GRT/4,263,247 DWT
ships by type:
bulk carrier 23, cargo 1, combination ore/oil 1, oil tanker 12
Airports:
total:
16
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
1
with paved runways under 914 m:
5
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
6
Communications
Telephone system:
570 telephones (Majuro) and 186 telephones (Ebeye); telex services
local:
NA
intercity:
islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for government
purposes)
international:
2 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth stations; US Government satellite
communications system on Kwajalein
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
radios:
NA
Television:
broadcast stations:
1
televisions:
NA
Defense Forces
Branches:
no regular military forces; Police
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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