Marshall Islands! Marshall Islands Information


The Marshall Islands is a small affiliated with the United States Island state, which is located in Micronesia, slightly north of the equator. total area- 181.3 sq. km, and the population according to 2008 estimates is 61,000 people.

Marshall Islands on the world map


The capital, the city of Majuro, is located on the atoll of the same name, 3438 km west of Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, and is the main national political and economic center of this small state. All the islands and atolls of the Marshall Islands are divided into two groups: the Ralik chain and the Ratak chain.
The most important and largest island is Kwajalein, which has the world's largest lagoon with an area of ​​2174 square meters. km. Kwajalein Atoll is also famous for the fact that missiles launched during tests from the US Air Force Base Vanderberg in California splash down in its lagoon.

Due to the fairly large length of the island chains from north to south, the country's climate is quite diverse. Yes, on northern islands it is tropical, semi-arid, and on the northernmost island of Bocak it is almost semi-desert. However, as you move southward, the amount of precipitation increases and most often it rains on Ebon - the most south island country, which is located in the equatorial belt. At the same time, throughout almost the entire year, northeast winds blow on the islands, characterized by high humidity. Destructive typhoons and tropical storms are quite rare here and mostly occur between October and November or March and April.

Map of the Marshall Islands in Russian


Due to the high cost of flights to the Marshall Islands, tourism in this region of Oceania is not so developed. However, a trip here is a real treat for divers, as here they will have the opportunity to admire some of the most beautiful underwater landscapes on the planet.
The main attractions of this paradise- ancient “underwater gardens” near Mili Atoll, “underwater cemeteries” of military equipment that sank in the local waters during the Second World War and Laura Village - an ethnographic village where you can get acquainted with the way of life of the indigenous people of Micronesia, which over the past 300 years has not Laura Village also houses Majuro Peace Park, a memorial built by Japan in memory of those killed between 1941 and 1945. In general, there are many objects remaining on the islands that remind of the Japanese intervention. For example, in the jungle on Watje Atoll. see the ruins of giant fortifications built by the Japanese, and in the center of the village located there is a large collection of Japanese tanks and other military equipment produced in the early 1940s. Photo materials used from Wikimedia © Foto, Wikimedia Commons

Where is the Marshall Islands located on the world map. Detailed map Marshall Islands in Russian online. Satellite map of the Marshall Islands with cities and resorts, roads, streets and houses. The Marshall Islands on the world map is an island country located in Micronesia, in Pacific Ocean.

The islands are divided into two chains: Ralik and Ratak. In total, the archipelago includes 1,152 islands, which in total occupy a fairly vast territory in the Pacific Ocean. The capital of the Marshall Islands is the city of Majuro. The islands have two official languages ​​- Marshallese and English.

Map of the Marshall Islands in Russian:

Marshall Islands - Wikipedia:

Population of the Marshall Islands- 55,000 people (2016)
Capital of the Marshall Islands- Majuro
Largest city in the Marshall Islands: Majuro
Marshall Islands dialing code - 692
Internet domains of the Marshall Islands- .mh

On Marshall Islands several climate zones. On most of the islands the climate is tropical, in the southern part it is subequatorial. On average, the temperature throughout the year fluctuates between +25...+27 C. The water temperature remains quite warm all 365 days of the year - + 21...+23C. Quite often the islands experience heavy rainfall and storms.

The most interesting places for tourists are concentrated in the capital of the Marshall Islands. One of them is the Alele Museum, where you can see exhibits from the times of the early peoples inhabiting Marshall Islands. Next to the museum is the Archive and Library, where you can also get Interesting Facts about the Marshall Islands.

Going to the western part of the capital, you can learn about the life of the ordinary rural population, visit a factory processing sorghum, visit a shellfish farm and see the Capitol building.

Despite the good weather, Marshall Islands remain a fairly undeveloped country from a tourism point of view. The reason for this is the undeveloped tourist infrastructure and the high cost of air tickets.

What to see in the Marshall Islands:

Monument to the Victims of the 1918 Typhoon, Museum complex Canoe House, Ocean Reefs and Aquariums Sea Farm, Majuro Peace Park Memorial, Laura Beach, Laura Village, Bikini Lagoon, California Beach, Mili Mili Village, Erikub Atoll, Taka Atoll, Marshall Islands Cultural Center, Alele Museum, Mejit Island , Utirik Atoll, Knox Atoll, Mili Atoll, Maloelap Atoll.

in the Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia; US custody. Open Spanish navigator A. Saavedra in 1529 G. and subsequently forgotten. Rediscovered by the English naval officer Captain John Marshall in 1788 G. and named after him islands Marshall (Marshall Islands) ; V Russian literature the Marshall form is adopted islands, until mid-1950s gg. Marshall Islands. Cm. also Micronesia.

Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E.M.

2001.

(Marshall Islands), 1) Marshall Islands a group of several hundred coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator, in Micronesia , the largest is about. Kwajalein. They form the territory of the Marshall Islands. Discovered in 1529 by the Spanish navigator A. Saavedra; studied in detail in 1788 by the English naval officer J. Marshall and named after him. Many islands, especially in the Radak group, were discovered and mapped at the beginning of the 19th century. Russian navigators (O. E. Kotzebue and others) and received Russian names, which were later replaced by local ones.;
2) Tests have been carried out on the Bikini and Eniwetak atolls several times. nuclear weapons Republic of the Marshall Islands English, Japanese and local Malay-Polynesian dialects are also common. Mining of phosphorites, procurement of seafood, production of handicrafts from sea shells, wood and pearls, tourism infrastructure is developing. Cultivation of coconut palm, cocoa, breadfruit, taro, sweet potatoes. Export of copra. Cash unit - U.S. dollar.

Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Ekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of academician. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .

2001.

a group of several hundred coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator, in Micronesia. Discovered in 1529 by the Spanish navigator A. Saavedra; studied in detail in 1788 by the English naval officer J. Marshall and named after him. Many islands, especially in the Radak group, were discovered and mapped in the beginning. 19th century Russian navigators (O.E. Kotzebue etc.), therefore they received Russian names, which were later replaced by local ones. Pl. 181 km², pop. OK. 40 thousand people The largest o. Kwajalein. Cultivation of coconut palm, breadfruit, taro, sweet potato. Export of copra. Fishing. Nuclear weapons have been tested on the Bikini and Enewetak atolls.

Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Edited by prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, an island state on the archipelago of the same name in the western Pacific Ocean. The archipelago consists of two parallel chains of atolls - Ralik and Ratak, stretching from northwest to southeast between 5 and 15° N latitude. and 162 and 173°E. and including 29 coral atolls and five coral islands (the total number of islands and small islets is about 1150), scattered over a water area of ​​​​approx. 1 million sq. km. Among them is the world's largest atoll, Kwajalein (Menshikova), with an area of ​​approx. 2200 sq. km (together with the lagoon). On the atolls of Enewetak, Bikini and Majuro, the United States conducted nuclear weapons tests in 1946–1958. The land area of ​​the Marshall Islands is 181 square meters. km.
Nature. The Marshall Islands are composed of coralline limestones resting on the tops of underwater volcanoes. As a rule, coral islands are low-lying, their average height is 10 m above sea level, in some places the surface rises to 20 m, and the maximum height reaches 24 m above sea level. The climate is equatorial, hot and humid. Average annual temperature 28° C. Average annual precipitation varies from 500–800 mm in the north to 4000 mm in the south. Rains usually fall in summer and autumn (from May to November), and storms and typhoons occur; winter is a drier season. The soils of the coral islands are infertile, mostly occupied by mangrove swamps. Animal world extremely poor and represented mainly by bats and rats accidentally introduced by Europeans on ships. Reptiles include crocodiles, snakes, and lizards. Lots of birds and insects. Coastal waters abound with fish.
Population. In 1990, the country had a population of approx. 45.6 thousand people, in 2004 there were 57,738 people. About half of the population is concentrated on the capital island of Majuro (23.7 thousand people according to the 1999 census) on the atoll of the same name, and a quarter on the Kwajalein Atoll, where the US missile base is located. 38.6% of the population are children and adolescents (under 14 years old), the age group from 15 to 64 years old includes 58.7%, and over 65 years old – 2.7% of the population. The birth rate is estimated at 33.88 per 1000 inhabitants, the death rate at 4.94 per 1000, and the natural increase at 2.29%. Infant mortality is 30.5 per 1000 newborns.
The population is dominated by Marshallese, belonging to the Micronesian group of peoples. The official language is English. The islands are home to two dialects of Marshallese, which belongs to the East Austronesian group of the Austronesian language family, as well as Japanese. Believers are mainly Protestants (Congregationalists), but there are also Catholics. The population is highly literate: almost all adults (over 15 years old) can read and write.
State structure. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a state “freely associated with the United States.” The state and government are headed by the president (since January 2000 - K. Nout). The legislative body is a unicameral parliament consisting of 33 deputies elected by the population for a period of 4 years. Parliament also elects a president from among its members for a term of 4 years. The president forms the government (executive branch) from among members of parliament. The country has a 12-member Council of Chiefs, an advisory body that has jurisdiction over customary law matters. Higher judicial bodies - Supreme Court and the High Court.
Traditionally, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has not had parties, but rather associations based on common interests. Only in the last parliamentary elections in November 1999 were two “party groups” taking part - the Kabua Party (chairman I. Kabua) and the United Democratic Party (chairman L. Tomeinga).
Economy. The country's economy is based on subsistence agriculture, copra production for export, and US financial assistance. A large share of foreign exchange earnings comes from tourism. In the field tourism business busy ok 10% of the population. Agricultural products are produced on small farms. They mainly grow coconut palms, breadfruit, pandanus, cocoa, taro, tomatoes and melons, and raise pigs and poultry. Small-scale production is limited to handicrafts made from cowrie shells, wood and pearls, weaving, weaving from pandanus fiber and bamboo rods, and fish processing.
Only on the largest islands of Majuro and Kwajalein there are paved roads; on the remaining islands, natural surfaces composed of limestone, coral or lateritic weathering crusts are profiled for the construction of roads. The main means of transportation between the islands are: Various types ships and aviation. The biggest sea ​​port Majuro. The Marshall Islands own an extensive merchant fleet, numbering 143 units with a tonnage of more than 1,000 tons. tons each (with a total displacement of 6,801,336 registered tons). It includes ships for transporting bulk and liquid cargo, liquefied gas, container ships, oil tankers, etc. Some merchant ships fly the flags of other countries - the USA, Canada, China, Germany, Japan. There are one and a half dozen airports in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and only four of them have paved runways.
Because the country is poor natural resources, imports far exceed exports. In addition to copra, they export coconut oil, fish, and bivalve shells, which produce mother-of-pearl. They import food, machinery and equipment, fuel, drinks, and tobacco products. The main foreign trade partners are the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore.
Each year, the Marshall Islands receives approx. $65 million External debt in 1996/97 financial year amounted to 125 million dollars.
Story. The islands were discovered by the Spanish navigator A. Saavedra in 1529. In 1788 they were examined by the Englishmen T. Gilbert and J. Marshall and named after the latter. At the beginning of the 19th century. many of the islands were discovered and mapped by Russian navigators (O.E. Kotzebue, L.A. Gagemeister, etc.), who gave them Russian names - Rimsky-Korsakov, Kutuzov, Kruzenshtern, Rumyantsev, Menshikov. In the 19th century European and American traders and missionaries began to settle on the Marshall Islands. In 1885 Germany declared them its protectorate. In 1914, at the very beginning of the First World War, the islands were captured by Japan, which continued to administer them after the war under a League of Nations mandate. In early 1944, American troops occupied the Marshall Islands; in 1947 they were included in the UN Trust Territory of Micronesia (then the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands - TTPA), administered by the United States. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted a series of atomic and hydrogen bomb tests on the Bikini and Enewetak atolls. In May 1979, the Marshall Islands seceded from the PTTO, acquired many self-government rights and became known as the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In 1983, the Agreement on “Free Association” of the Marshall Islands with the United States was signed, ratified by the US Congress in January 1986 and entered into force in October of the same year. This status ensures self-government for the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Issues of defense, finance and foreign affairs remain the prerogative of the United States. The UN Security Council in 1990 abolished the trusteeship agreement over the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In September 1991 the country became a member of the UN.
LITERATURE
Oceania. Directory. M., 1982
Rubtsov B.B. Oceania. M., 1991

Encyclopedia Around the World. 2008 .

MARSHALL ISLANDS

REPUBLIC OF MARSHALL ISLANDS
A country in the North Pacific Ocean located in the Marshall Islands archipelago. It consists of 34 islands, divided into two groups: the southeastern - the Ratak Islands and the northeastern - the Ralik Islands. Area 181 km2.
The population (1998 estimate) is 63,000. Ethnic groups: Micronesians - 97%. Language: English (state), Micronesian dialect, Japanese. Religion: Protestants - 90%. The capital is the island of Majuro. The government system is a republic. The head of state is President Amata Kabua (since 1995). The monetary unit is the US dollar. Average life expectancy (as of 1998): 62 years - men, 65 years - women. The birth rate (per 1000 people) is 45.4. The mortality rate (per 1000 people) is 6.9.
The islands were discovered by the Spaniards in 1526, but were colonized only in late XIX centuries. From 1886 to 1914 they were a German protectorate. Japan captured them in 1914, and since 1920 it has ruled the islands under a mandate. In February 1944, American troops | captured Majuro, and later other islands;! archipelago. In 1946, Bikini Atoll was used by the Americans as a test site for nuclear weapons. In 1979, the archipelago received limited autonomy, and in 1990 | The UN Security Council recognized the independence of the Marshall Islands. The country is a member of the UN.

Encyclopedia: cities and countries. 2008 .

The Marshall Islands are a republic in the western Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia. Area - 181 sq. km; population - 61.8 thousand people. The capital is Majuro (on island of the same name). The islands were discovered in 1529. In the 17th–19th centuries belonged to Spain (cm. Spain). In 1919 they were captured by Japan (cm. Japan), and during the Second World War - the USA (cm. USA). The republic gained de facto independence in 1986.
The territory consists of several hundred small coral islands, atolls and reefs. The largest is Kwajalein Island. The climate on the islands is tropical, trade wind, in the south - subequatorial; precipitation falls 2000 - 4000 mm. Common evergreens rainforests and shrubs. The basis of the country's economy is Agriculture and fishing. They grow coconut palm, breadfruit, casava, and tropical fruits.

Encyclopedia of tourism Cyril and Methodius. 2008 .


Synonyms:

See what "Marshall Islands" is in other dictionaries:

    - (Republic of the Marshall Islands), a state in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia, on the archipelago of the same name. Area 181.3 km2. Population 52 thousand people, mainly Marshallese. The official languages ​​are Marshallese and English. Believers... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

    - (Marshall Islands) Republic of the Marshall Islands, a state on the archipelago of the same name in the Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia. 181 km². Population 52 thousand people (1993), mainly Marshallese (one of the ethnic groups of Micronesians). Believers... ...

    - (Marshall Islands) archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, Micronesia. Discovered by the Spanish navigator A. de Saavedra in 1529, studied in more detail by the English navigator J. Marshall and T. Gilbert in 1788 (named after J. Marshall). Marshall's o va... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Noun, number of synonyms: 2 archipelago (45) country (281) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

    - (Marshall Islands), an archipelago of 29 atolls and 5 islands in the center of the Pacific Ocean. Named after the English captain who visited them in 1788. In 1886 M.o. became a protectorate of Germany. After the 1st World War they were ruled by Japan, after the 2nd... ... The World History

    Republic of the Marshall Islands Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ (marsh.) Republic of the Marshall Islands (English) ... Wikipedia

Tests have been carried out on the Bikini and Eniwetak atolls several times. is a Pacific country in Micronesia. It borders in the west and southwest with the territorial waters of the Federated States of Micronesia, in the south with the territorial waters of Kiribati, and in the remaining parts with the neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean. The length of the coastal strip is 370.4 km. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is located on 29 atolls and 5 islands of the Marshall Islands archipelago, consisting of the Ralik and Ratak chains. The total land area is 181.3 km²; the territory occupied by lagoons is 11,673 km². The population of the Marshall Islands is 63,174 people. (2008, evaluation). The capital is Majuro.

The first island noticed by Europeans was Bocak Atoll, discovered by the Spanish navigator Alonso de Salazar in 1526. Subsequently, the Marshall Islands alternately became the territory of different colonial powers: in 1886 - Germany, in 1914 - Japan, which continued to administer the islands after the First World War under the mandate of the League of Nations, in 1947 - included in the UN Trust Territory under the control of the United States. As a state entity, the Marshall Islands came into existence in 1983 as a result of the division of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Since 1986, the Islands have been in "free association" with the United States. The Marshall Islands is a member of the UN, the South Pacific Commission and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Name

The Marshall Islands are named after British Captain John Marshall (also known as William Marshall), who, along with fellow Captain Thomas Gilbert, are named after neighboring islands Gilbert, explored the archipelago in 1788 while transporting prisoners to New South Wales.


Geography

The Micronesian nation of the Marshall Islands is a cluster of atolls and islands located in the Pacific Ocean just north of the equator. The capital of the country, the city of Majuro, is located 3438 km west of the city of Honolulu, the administrative center of the American state of Hawaii, 3701 km southeast of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and 3241 km southeast of the city of Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. The closest archipelagos are the Caroline Islands, which belong to the Federated States of Micronesia and are located southwest of the Marshall Islands, and the Gilbert Islands, which lie to the southeast and belong to the Republic of Kiribati.

The land area of ​​the Marshall Islands is only 181 km², while the area occupied by lagoons is 11,673 km². The country is located on 29 atolls and 5 remote islands, which are divided into two groups: 18 islands in the Ralik chain (translated from Marshallese as “sunset”) and 16 islands in the Ratak (or Radak; translated from Marshallese as “sunrise” chain). Both chains are approximately 250 km apart and stretch from northwest to southeast for approximately 1200 km. The most important islands are the atolls of Kwajalein and Majuro. Largest island Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kwajalein, is also an atoll with the largest lagoon in the world. Although its land area is only 16.32 km² (or 6.3 sq. miles), its lagoon area is 2,174 km² (or 839.3 sq. miles). All the islands are low-lying and the atolls are made up of a large number of motus, the total number of which in the country exceeds 1,100. Highest point country, which reaches only 10 m, is located on the Likiep Atoll.

The northernmost island of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is Bocak (or Taongi) Island in the Ratak chain: it is located 280 km northwest of the country's disputed Wake Atoll, now under US administration. The southernmost island of the Marshall Islands is Ebon Atoll, the westernmost is Ujelang (they are both located in the Ralik chain), and the easternmost is Knox in the Ratak chain.

Twenty nine out of thirty four islands The Republic of the Marshall Islands are atolls (the remaining islands are raised atolls). According to Charles Darwin's theory, the formation of atolls occurred as a result of the submergence of volcanic islands, on the surface of which corals gradually grew. A fringing reef was formed, and subsequently a barrier reef, which was gradually built up by corals. As a result, the land of the atoll arose. Coral and algae growth was most active in areas of the reef facing the ocean, causing these outer edges of the reef to keep pace with the subsidence of the volcanic island. The interior regions of the island, on the contrary, sank under water. Subsequently, shallow lagoons formed in these places.

Sand gradually accumulated on the surface of the reefs, which was formed under the influence of waves and currents, especially during strong tides. In the tidal zone of the beach, coastal rock was formed, an outer inclined layer of stones. As a result, land plants had a support on which they could grow. On the island, vegetation resistant to high salt content in the soil was formed, which with its roots held together various sedimentary rocks and prevented water and wind erosion. This is how the sandy islands, or motu, of the atoll were formed.

An uplifted atoll is a raised volcanic island formed by the uplift of a coral platform, or makatea, that surrounds the volcanic plateau in the center of the island.

There are no mineral resources that could be mined on an industrial scale on the surface or in the depths of the Marshall Islands. However, during preliminary studies, phosphorites were found on some islands, and within the territorial waters of the country - accumulations of iron-manganese nodules, as well as cobalt. However, no development is currently underway.

Climate

A distinctive feature of the regional climate of the Marshall Islands is the variation climatic conditions from north to south, including an increase in precipitation in this direction. The northern islands of the country have a tropical, semi-arid climate. For example, on the northernmost atoll of the Marshall Islands, Bokaka, it is almost semi-desert, although the amount of precipitation that falls on it is close to that of the western prairies of the United States. This is due to several factors: soil porosity, salt spray and salty groundwater. Rainfall in the Marshall Islands increases as you move south and reaches its maximum on Ebon Atoll, the southernmost island of the country, located in the equatorial belt.

Another important climatic feature The local climate is the location of the Marshall Islands in the zone of northeastern trade winds. During most of the year, the prevailing winds on the islands are from the northeast. They are characterized by high moisture saturation. All but the northernmost islands experience frequent rainfall.

Typical, although rare, tropical storms and hurricanes or typhoons are common in the archipelago, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds that snap trees and destroy houses, and high waves that threaten to wash away low-lying islands. Droughts occur. The cause of climate disasters is most often the El Niño current.

Monthly rainfall in the Marshall Islands is around 300-380 mm. On the northern islands of the country, from 1000 to 1750 mm of precipitation falls annually, on the southern islands - 3000-4300 mm. On the northern islands, the heaviest rain occurs from September to November, while on the southern islands it falls all year round.

The temperature regime on the archipelago remains constant throughout the year. The difference between the coldest and warmest month is 1-2°C. The lowest nighttime temperatures are usually 2-4 degrees above the lowest daytime temperature. The average annual temperature in the Marshall Islands is 27.8°C.

Nature

The soils of the Marshall Islands are highly alkaline, of coral origin (mostly white or pink coral sand), and very poor. They are usually porous, which is why they retain moisture very poorly. Also, local soils contain very little organic and mineral substances with the exception of calcium.

Permanent bodies of fresh water are a rarity in the Marshall Islands. There is no running water on the islands; small streams of water form only after heavy rains. Groundwater is found on almost all atolls except the northernmost ones, where the climate is the driest. As rainwater seeps through porous soil, it forms a lens of slightly brackish water. You can get to it by digging a well. Due to the small amount of water entering these lenses and prolonged tidal fluctuations, the lenses are relatively thin, as is the mixing zone of fresh and sea water. On some atolls of the country, where the climate is the most humid, there are small, mostly brackish, ponds that were formed as a result of the isolation of a separate section of the lagoon and the constant mixing of lagoonal salt water with fresh rainwater. One of the freshwater ponds exists on the island of Lib in the Ralik chain.

Only on a few uninhabited islands The archipelago has preserved forests in which vegetation typical of atolls grows. On the rest, the island ecosystem has undergone significant changes under the influence of anthropogenic factors: most of the local flora was destroyed, and instead of native plants, coconut palm and breadfruit plantations were planted. Other atolls suffered from military action: from 1946 to the 1960s, Americans tested nuclear weapons on Bikini and Eniwetok. In 1954, the United States tested its first hydrogen bomb, codenamed Bravo, at Bikini Atoll. The explosion was 1000 times more powerful than the explosion in Hiroshima, and radioactive fallout from it fell on neighboring islands. Nuclear testing caused enormous damage to the islands' ecosystem.

IN last years local flora and fauna are threatened by rising sea levels caused by global warming. It leads to groundwater pollution and the retreat of land in front of the ocean.

The Marshall Islands are home to 80 plant species, of which one species is endemic to the archipelago and two are endemic to Micronesia. The most common species is the coconut palm, which covers approximately 60% of the archipelago's landmass. This plant plays a key role in the life of the islanders: it is, on the one hand, a source of wood, and on the other hand, it forms the basis of the Marshallese diet. The oily endosperm of the nut is used to produce copra, which is the country's main export. Among other important local residents Plants include pandanus, breadfruit, taro and bananas. Pisonias and Tournefortias mainly grow in the island forests. There are mangroves.

The most important representatives of the local fauna are turtles and seabirds. On many northern islands, Bikar, Bokak, Bikini, green turtles (Chelonia mydas) lay eggs, but previously widespread sea ​​turtle Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) has become rare in local waters. Many of the Marshall Islands are large bird colonies where seabirds nest (106 bird species in total). The country's only land birds are the Pacific frugivorous dove (Ducula oceanica) and the purple-capped pied dove (Ptilinopus porphyraceus), now extinct on most of the islands. Skinks and geckos are found everywhere. All nine mammal species are introduced to the Marshall Islands.

The coastal waters of the islands are very rich in fish (about 250 species) and corals (about 146 species).

There are no reserves or protected areas in the country.

Story

Very little is known about the early history of the Marshall Islands. Presumably, the islands were inhabited about 2000 years ago by people from Southeast Asia.

The first island noticed by Europeans was Bocak Atoll, discovered by the Spanish navigator Alonso de Salazar in 1526. However, the archipelago remained nameless until 1788, when the islands were rediscovered by British captain John Marshall, after whom they were named. Subsequently, ships from many countries sailed past the Marshall Islands, but none of them presented territorial claims for the purpose of annexation. In the 1860s, the first immigrants from Germany began to appear on the islands. During these years, German trading companies developed a whole network for trading copra and other goods. In 1885, the archipelago was annexed by the German Empire, despite verbal claims from Spain.

During the First World War, in September 1914, Japan occupied part of Micronesia that belonged to Germany, including the Marshall Islands. Since then, the islands remained under Japanese control until the archipelago was occupied by the Americans during World War II. Since 1920, the Marshall Islands have been administered by Japan under a League of Nations mandate.

After a brief occupation of the islands by the US Army, the UN entrusted the administration of the Marshall Islands to the United States as a Trust Territory Pacific Islands. Soon a strategic position appeared on Kwajalein Atoll. military base The United States, from where control was exercised over nuclear weapons tests on the islands of Bikini and Eniwetok, which were carried out from 1946 to 1958.

In 1979, the archipelago received limited autonomy, and in 1986 the Treaty of Free Association was signed with the United States, according to which the United States recognized the independence of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic, in turn, granted the United States military the right to be on the territory of the country; All military bases were also preserved. The defense of the country has become the responsibility of the United States. In 1990, the independence of the Marshall Islands was recognized by the UN.

The association agreement expired in September 2001. After two years of negotiations, in 2003, the agreement was extended.

Economy

The characteristics that determine the economic situation in the Marshall Islands are no different from those of other countries in Oceania: a huge exclusive economic zone, limited natural resources, remoteness from the main world markets, shortage of highly qualified specialists. The economy of the Marshall Islands is also experiencing serious difficulties such as deficits in the government budget, balance of payments and low level domestic savings. The country is heavily dependent on Money allocated by the Asian Development Bank, the USA and other countries of the world. Therefore, the size of the government budget of the Marshall Islands is largely determined by the amount of foreign financial assistance.

Nevertheless, in recent years, the country has achieved relative economic stability, although the weaknesses of the local economy and the negative influence of external and other factors that may negate the achieved economic successes remain. The most stable components of business activity in the Marshall Islands are the public sector and the financial and economic income from the US Reagan Proving Ground on Kwajalein Atoll, which is also a major employer (employing between 1,200 and 1,300 Marshallese). The private sector has also seen improvements in recent years, but it has not grown sufficiently to address the country's growing unemployment problem. The public and private sectors remain particularly sensitive to fluctuations in the external market: for example, after terrorist attack September 11, 2001 in the United States and the avian flu epidemic in Asia of 2001-2004 saw a sharp decline in the number of tourists on the islands; The economy is also negatively affected by rising prices for fuel, which is entirely imported into the country.

According to the government of the Marshall Islands, in 2007 the country's GDP was about $149 million, and its GDP per capita was $2,851. The Islands' national economic growth is very uneven. In 2007, GDP growth was 2%, in 2004 - 5.6%, while from 1996 to 1999 it was negative (in 1996 - -10.3%, in 1999 - -2.9% ).

The main sectors of the Marshall Islands economy are the services sector and agriculture. Tourism is one of the dynamically developing sectors of the country's economy.

According to a 2005 estimate, the country's inflation rate was 3%.

Thanks to low taxes, the state is a popular offshore zone.

Culture

Even before Europeans arrived in the Marshall Islands, the local population was divided into separate groups, whose members had certain rights and responsibilities. At the heart of the social organization of Marshallese society was the issue of land ownership. Each settlement consisted of several matrilineal clans (or march. jowi). The main form of social organization was the clan (or march. bwij), which was a group of people tracing their origins to a common ancestor and built on the basis of a matrilineal system in which all land rights were transmitted through the maternal line. The head of the clan (or march. alab), usually the oldest male of the main line of the clan, controlled the land holdings belonging to the clan. The landholding (or march. wāto) was a small strip of land stretching from the lagoon to the ocean coast. One or more landholdings were under the control of the matrilineal line. Local chiefs (or march. irooj) had the right to the entire atoll or part of it (motu). The heads of the clans organized and managed the activities of people, allocated land for use to clans within one clan, and also organized and monitored the work of community members who provided local leaders with food and presented them with various gifts (or march. ekkan). The community members had land rights, but they were constantly redistributed by the head of the clan. Only the local chief had permanent land rights, but only until he was defeated by another chief.

The significant distance between the islands of the country and fish as one of the main foodstuffs of the population determined the skill of the people of the country in fishing, including the construction of canoes (or march. wa), which are capable of covering considerable distances. The Marshallese themselves are excellent navigators, who over many centuries have learned to travel, guided by the stars, clouds, currents, birds and even the color of the ocean.

Traditional canoes were carved from breadfruit wood using coconut wicker. The sails were embroidered by women from pandanus leaves. There were three types of outrigger canoes: karkar (marsh. kōrkōr, used for swimming or fishing in the atoll lagoon; could accommodate up to three people), tipnol (marsh. tipnol, used for swimming in the ocean or lagoon; could accommodate up to ten people ) and walap (marsh. walap, used for long-distance sailing; could accommodate up to fifty people).

To teach navigation, the islanders used special maps, which were made only by men from the root of a pandanus tree or the veins of a coconut palm leaf. They depicted the direction of currents and waves, and islands were designated with cowrie shells. There were three types of such maps: rebbelib (marsh. rebbelib), which showed all the Marshall Islands or one of the two island chains; medo (marsh. medo) with the image of individual islands; mattang march. mattang or wappepe (marsh. wappepe) - a small square-shaped map that showed the direction of the waves around separate island. Despite the fact that maps helped navigate the open ocean, the Marshallese themselves never took them on a voyage, relying on their own memory.

The weaving of various mats, traditional clothing and bags from pandanus leaves, coconut palms and hibiscus has reached a high level in the Marshall Islands. Woven mats have a wide range of uses: talao (marsh. tōlao) is used for sitting and is made from whole pandanus leaves that are sewn together; jepko (marsh. jepko) is used as a carpet or placed under a mat for sleeping; janini (marsh. janini) is used for sleeping, and jab (marsh. jab) is used as a room decoration. Wall decorations are also common in Marshallese homes. round shape, or obon (marsh. obon). On the island of Kili, people from Bikini Atoll weave beautiful women's bags and wallets, and Likiep is known for its fans.

 

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