Arctic Ocean (2001) | Marshall Islands (2002) | |
Administrative 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 |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 49.1% (male 18,443; female 17,704)
15-64 years: 48.9% (male 18,347; female 17,628) 65 years and over: 2% (male 720; female 788) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens |
Airports | - | 17 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total:
14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies |
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 | slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US | about the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean. | After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands have been home to the US Army Base Kwajalein (USAKA) since 1964. |
Birth rate | - | 44.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $42 million
expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) |
Capital | - | Majuro |
Climate | polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow | wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt |
Coastline | 45,389 km | 370.4 km |
Constitution | - | 1 May 1979 |
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) |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | - | 6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $86.5 million |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. SENKO
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu |
Disputes - international | some maritime disputes (see littoral states) | claims US territory of Wake Island |
Economic aid - recipient | - | approximately $39 million annually from the US |
Economy - overview | Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals. | US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is primarily subsistence and is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provides roughly $39 million in annual aid. Negotiations have continued for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 1% (solar) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
Environment - current issues | endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack | inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | - | Micronesian |
Exchange rates | - | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); 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 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% |
Exports | - | $9 million f.o.b. (2000) |
Exports - commodities | - | copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts |
Exports - partners | - | US, Japan, Australia |
Fiscal year | - | 1 October - 30 September |
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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $115 million (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 14%
industry: 16% services: 70% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 1% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 90 00 N, 0 00 E | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
Geography - note | major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months | two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range |
Highways | - | total: NA 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) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $54 million f.o.b. (2000) |
Imports - commodities | - | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco |
Imports - partners | - | US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines |
Independence | - | 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls |
Infant mortality rate | - | 38.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 1.9% (1999 est.) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW (signatory), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2002) |
Irrigated land | - | 0 sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; High Court |
Labor force | - | 28,698 |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 21%, industry 21%, services 58% |
Land boundaries | - | 0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (1998 est.) |
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 |
Legal system | - | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) 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 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 66.18 years
male: 64.35 years female: 68.09 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999) |
Location | body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle | Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
Map references | Arctic Region | Oceania |
Maritime claims | - | contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,807,839 GRT/19,332,014 DWT
ships by type: bulk 82, cargo 14, chemical tanker 24, combination ore/oil 4, container 46, liquefied gas 8, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 88, vehicle carrier 3 note: the ship's register of the Marshall Islands is a flag of convenience register since essentially none of the vessels on it is owned domestically, includes the following foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 9, Germany 70, Greece 54, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Monaco 8, Netherlands 8, Norway 10, Poland 16, Singapore 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 3, United States 87, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | - | Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) |
Nationality | - | noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese |
Natural hazards | ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May | infrequent typhoons |
Natural resources | sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | - | 73,630 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 3.89% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) | Majuro |
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) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | - | Christian (mostly Protestant) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
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: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 4,186 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 489 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) |
Terrain | central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge) | low coral limestone and sand islands |
Total fertility rate | - | 6.49 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 30.9% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |