]! ^! 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, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia ^# 9 00 N, 168 00 E ^$ Oceania ^% `! 181.3 sq km `" 181.3 sq km `# 0 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik ^& about the size of Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 370.4 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm ^* tropical; hot and humid; wet season from 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 ^. `' 16.67% `( 38.89% `) 44.44% (2001) ^/ 0 sq km ^0 infrequent typhoons ^1 inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution `L none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 59,071 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 38.2% (male 11,488/female 11,071) `+ 59.1% (male 17,887/female 17,023) `, 2.7% (male 771/female 831) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 19.95 years `- 19.98 years `. 19.92 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.27% (2005 est.) ^7 33.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -5.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 1.05 male(s)/female `, 0.93 male(s)/female `1 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 29.45 deaths/1,000 live births `- 33.05 deaths/1,000 live births `. 25.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 70.01 years `- 68.05 years `. 72.06 years (2005 est.) ^= 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `2 Marshallese (singular and plural) `3 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 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 93.7% `- 93.6% `. 93.7% (1999) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of the Marshall Islands `5 Marshall Islands `X Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) ^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 Majuro ^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 `6 President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament `9 president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007) `: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% ^Q unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `9 last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007) `: 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 ^R Supreme Court; High 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 - Kabua Party [Imata 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, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO ^V `N Ambassador Banny DE BRUM `O 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 234-5414 `Q [1] (202) 232-3236 `R Honolulu ^W `N Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS `Z Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro `[ P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 `P [692] 247-4011 `Q [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 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. ^Z $115 million (2001 est.) ^[ 1% (2001 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) ^] `; 14% `< 16% `= 70% (2000 est.) ^^ 28,700 (1996 est.) ^_ agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7% ^` 30.9% (1999 est.) ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 2% (2001 est.) _# `@ $42 million `A $40 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999) _$ coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens _% copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls _& NA _/ $9 million f.o.b. (2000) _0 copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish _1 US, Japan, Australia, China (2000) _2 $54 million f.o.b. (2000) _3 foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco _4 US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000) _5 $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) _6 more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 _7 US dollar (USD) _8 the US dollar is the legal tender _9 1 October - 30 September 
]& _: 4,500 (2003) _; 600 (2002) _< `B digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits `C 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) `D country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) _= 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) _> 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) _? .mh _@ 6 (2003) _A 1,400 (2003) 
]' _B `! 64.5 km `E 64.5 km `F NA km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) _C Majuro _K `! 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 83, cargo 47, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil 12, container 88, liquefied gas 16, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 192, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 5 `S 462 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 2, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 2, Georgia 1, Germany 124, Greece 106, Hong Kong 7, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 5, Latvia 6, Monaco 9, Netherlands 4, New Zealand 1, Norway 21, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 1, Turkey 11, Ukraine 1, UAE 3, United Kingdom 15, United States 112) (2005) _D 15 (2004 est.) _E `! 4 `^ 3 `_ 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 11 `_ 10 `T 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police _N NA _O NA _G defense is the responsibility of the US 
]) _H claims US territory of Wake Island 