]! ^! 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 hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. 
]" ^" Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia ^# 9 00 N, 168 00 E ^$ Oceania ^% `! 11,854.3 sq km `" 181.3 sq km `# 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters) `* includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik ^& about the size of Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 370.4 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm `N 200 nm ^* tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt ^+ low coral limestone and sand islands ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& unnamed location on Likiep 10 m ^- coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals ^. `' 11.11% `( 44.44% `) 44.45% (2005) ^/ 0 sq km ^0 infrequent typhoons ^1 inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is used as a US missile test range; island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific 
]# ^3 61,815 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 38.3% (male 12,061/female 11,622) `, 58.9% (male 18,634/female 17,775) `- 2.8% (male 832/female 891) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 20.7 years `. 20.7 years `/ 20.7 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.207% (2007 est.) ^7 32.37 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -5.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.038 male(s)/female `, 1.048 male(s)/female `- 0.934 male(s)/female `2 1.041 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births `. 30.62 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 23.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 70.61 years `. 68.61 years `/ 72.71 years (2007 est.) ^= 3.76 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `3 Marshallese (singular and plural) `4 Marshallese ^B Micronesian ^C Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census) ^D Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) `* English (official), widely spoken as a second language ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 93.7% `. 93.6% `/ 93.7% (1999) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of the Marshall Islands `7 Marshall Islands `Z Republic of the Marshall Islands `[ Marshall Islands `] RMI `\ Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District ^H constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004 ^I `8 Majuro `9 7 05 N, 171 08 E `: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 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 ^K 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) ^L Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) ^M 1 May 1979 ^N based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `< President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004) `= Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of the legislature `> president elected by Parliament from among its members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held in November 2007) `? Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% ^Q unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2007) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 33 `* the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice ^R Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court ^S 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 - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] ^T NA ^U ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO ^V `R Ambassador Banny DE BRUM `S 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 234-5414 `U [1] (202) 232-3236 `V Honolulu ^W `R Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS `_ Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro `` P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 `T [692] 247-4011 `U [692] 247-4012 ^X 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 
]% ^Y US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, 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 Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. ^Z $115 million (2001 est.) ^[ $144 million (2005) ^\ 3.5% (2005 est.) ^] $2,900 (2005 est.) ^^ `@ 31.7% `A 14.9% `B 53.4% (2004 est.) ^_ 14,680 (2000) ^` `@ 21.4% `A 20.9% `B 57.7% ^a 30.9% (2000 est.) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 3% (2005 est.) _$ `E $42 million `F $40 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) _& coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens _' copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls _( NA% _3 $9.1 million f.o.b. (2000) _4 copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish _5 US, Japan, Australia, China (2004) _6 $54.7 million f.o.b. (2000) _7 foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco _8 US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2004) _9 $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) _: $51.1 million more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 (2004) _; US dollar (USD) _< the US dollar is used _= 1 October - 30 September 
]& _> 5,510 (2004) _? 1,198 (2004) _@ `G digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits `H Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones `I country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) _A AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein) (2005) _B 2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls Broadcasting Service, a cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005) _C .mh _D 6 (2006) _E 2,000 (2005) 
]' _F 15 (2006) _G `! 4 `b 3 `c 1 (2006) _R `! 11 `c 10 `W 1 (2006) _H `! 64.5 km `K 64.5 km `* paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) _S `! 795 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,772,611 GRT/50,987,293 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 178, cargo 53, chemical tanker 133, container 147, liquefied gas 25, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 234, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 `X 730 (Australia 2, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6, Chile 1, Croatia 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1, Finland 2, Germany 194, Greece 199, Hong Kong 7, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Japan 7, South Korea 1, Latvia 7, Monaco 8, Netherlands 1, Norway 65, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 6, Slovenia 3, Spain 3, Switzerland 13, Turkey 20, UAE 3, UK 12, US 143) `d 1 (North Korea 1) (2006) _I Majuro 
]( _J no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police _K males age 18-49: 13,465 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 10,792 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 726 (2005 est.) _U NA _M defense is the responsibility of the US 
]) _N claims US territory of Wake Island 