The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a country located in the North Pacific Ocean, approximately halfway between Australia and Hawaii. The country is made up of two archipelagic island chains, the Ratak (sunrise) Chain and the Ralik (sunset) Chain, located in Oceania. These are over 29 atolls and 1,225 individual islets. Currently 75,684 Marshallese live on the islands.
Figure 1: Map of the Islands that make up the Republic of the Marshall Islands (CIA World Factbook, Updated Feb. 14, 2019)
Culturally, the Marshallese are a matriarchal society and owning land holds a high prestige. The Marshall Islands became a battleground during World War II and fell under U.S. rule. After World War II, the U.S. military used several atolls to conduct nuclear weapons tests, including Bikini Atoll which faced large amounts of radiation contamination. The effects from the nuclear weapons still affect the Marshallese and the islands to this day.
Coconuts are one of the most important crops to the Marshall Islands.
Facts About the Marshall Islands
March 2nd - Remembrance Day is a national holiday honoring victims and survivors who suffer from effects of the nuclear testing.
The Marshallese can work, study, and live in the U.S. without a visa and serve in the U.S. military.
Multiple U.S. agencies operate or offer assistance to the Marshall Islands including the following:
Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Postal Service, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of State, Department of the Interior, and Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. dollar is the official currency.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands controls over 25% of the world's tuna supply and 60% of the Pacific tuna supply.