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Compare Southern Ocean (2007) - Marshall Islands (2002)

Compare Southern Ocean (2007) z Marshall Islands (2002)

 Southern Ocean (2007)Marshall Islands (2002)
 Southern OceanMarshall Islands
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: 20.327 million sq km


note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, 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 more than twice the size of the US about the size of Washington, DC
Background A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government. 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 sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
Coastline 17,968 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 Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west claims US territory of Wake Island
Economic aid - recipient - approximately $39 million annually from the US
Economy - overview Fisheries in 2003-04 landed 136,262 metric tons, of which 87% (118,166 tons) was krill and 8% (11,182 tons) Patagonian toothfish, compared to 142,555 tons in 2002-03 of which 83% (117,728 tons) was krill and 12% (16,479 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2004-05 Antarctic summer, 28,202 tourists, most of them seaborne (approximately 97%), visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 in 1999-2000. 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: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench


highest point: sea level 0 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Environment - current issues increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish


note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)


note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
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 60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude 9 00 N, 168 00 E
Geography - note the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds 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 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Map references Antarctic 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 huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue infrequent typhoons
Natural resources probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish 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 - 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 the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers low coral limestone and sand islands
Total fertility rate - 6.49 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Transportation - note Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal -
Unemployment rate - 30.9% (1999 est.)
Waterways - none
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