1989 Edition

Agriculture

cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Aid

NA

Budget

revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $1 14.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.)

Climate

wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt

tropical

Coastline

370.4 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Currency

Manx pound (plural — pounds); 1 Manx pound (£M) = 100 pence

Disputes

claims US-administered Wake Island

Electricity

61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989)

Environment

occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands

subject to occasional typhoons

Exchange rates

Manx pounds (£M) per US$1— 0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Exports

SNA; commodities — tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat; partners — UK

Extended economic zone

200 nm

External debt

SNA

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GNP

$490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988)

Imports

$NA; commodities — timber, fertilizers, fish; partners — UK

Industrial production

growth rate NA'V

Industries

an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufac- . luring, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Land boundaries

none

Land use

0% arable land; 60% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 40% other

0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other

Natural resources

phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

none

Note

located 3,825 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea; Bikini and Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

strategic location 3,700 km west of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands; emergency landing location for transpacific flights

Terrain

low coral limestone and sand islands

atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim; average elevation less than four meters

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

181.3 km2; land area: 181.3 km2; includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein

Total area

GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK.

Unemployment rate

1.5% (1988)

Birth rate

39 births/ 1, 000 population (1990)

Death rate

5 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

almost entirely Micronesian

Infant mortality rate

43 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1 990)

Labor force

4,800 (1986)

Language

English universally spoken and is the official language; two major Marshallese dialects from Malayo-Polynesian family; Japanese

Life expectancy at birth

70 years male, 75 years female (1990)

Literacy

90%

Nationality

noun — Marshallese; adjective— Marshallese

Net migration rate

—1 migrant/ 1,000 population ( 1 990)

Note

population peaked about 1970 with over 1 ,600 persons during the Vietnam conflict

Organized labor

none

Population

43,417 (July 1990), growth rate 3. 2% (1990)

195 (January 1990); no indigenous inhabitants; temporary population consists of 1 1 US Air Force personnel, 27 US civilians, and 151 Thai contractors

Religion

predominantly Christian, mostly Protestant

Total fertility rate

5.9 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

none

Capital

Majuro

Communists

none

Constitution

I May 1979

Diplomatic representation

Representative Wilfred I. KENDALL; Representative Office at Suite 1004, 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20006; tele-

Elections

President — last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results — President Amata Kabua was reelected; Parliament — last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results — percent of vote NA; seats — (33 total)

Executive branch

president. Cabinet

Independence

21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship; formerly the Marshall Islands District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government— President Amata KABUA (since 1979) Political parties and leaders: no formal parties; President Kabua is chief political (and traditional) leader

Legal system

based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (Nitijela)

Long-form name

Republic of the Marshall Islands

none

Member of

SPF, ESCAP (associate)

National holiday

Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986

Airports

2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

640 km motorable roads

Merchant marine

77 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 1,656,216 GRT/2,984,047 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 5 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 6 liquefied gas, 1 2 bulk; note — a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned

Note

defense is the responsibility of the UK 300km North Pacific Ocean Taongi .Bikar o oU/elang rfl ' Tafa' . °R0ngelap "^Me'" Kwajalein Likiep >VVo,/e U/aep & ^Maloelap MAJURO.. Majuro Namortk See rtflonil m«p X Jaluit

Ports

Douglas, Ramsey, Peel

Railroads

36 km electric track, 24 km steam track

Telecommunications

24,435 telephones; stations— 1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV Defense Forces