Amazing Facts You Never Knew About Marshall Islands

An island country located in the Pacific Ocean; almost between the Philippines and Hawaii. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is included in the Micronesian island grounds. The islands are known for its white sand beaches, lush green forests, blue lagoons, and beautiful coral reefs.

The islands were inhabited by the Micronesian colonies in the second millennium BC. They started using the traditional stick charts to navigate through the islands.

Alonso de Salazar, a Spanish explorer, was the first European to discover the atoll in these islands in 1526. He took the ship – Santa Maria de la Victoria.

The islands get the name from a British explorer named John Marshall, who visited in 1788. But the locals call it jolet jen Anij, which translates to ‘Gifts from God’ in English.

Bikini and Enewetak, parts of Marshall Islands, were used as a testing ground for US nuclear bombs from 1946 to 1958.

In 1979, the country became self-governing and the Government of Marshall Islands was officially established.

The Islands consist of 2 archipelagic chains with 29 coral atolls. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef with a couple of islets and islands.

There are over 1225 islands and islets. Out of which, only 24 islets are inhabited. The rest maybe contaminated due to nuclear testing or some don't have favorable living conditions.

The two parallel island chains are named the Ratak Chain meaning sunrise; and Ralik Chain meaning sunset.

The country has a land area of 181 square kilometres. But, the islands are scattered over in the ocean for about 1.9 million square kilometres

The country boasts a total coastline of 370 kilometres in length. Hence, the climate here is tropical. The temperatures vary from 24°C (75°F) to 30°C (86°F). October and November are the wettest months here.

The average altitude of the country is only 7 feet above the sea level. But, Likiep Atoll boasts of the highest point which is 33 feet above sea level. The country is threatened because of the effects of sea level rise and is the most endangered due to flooding.

The country’s capital is Majuro. It has an international airport, hotels, port, and several shopping districts. The DUD, which means Dulap-Uliga-Djarrit are the three main islands.

There are a total of 64 islands which has a population of over 27,000 people. The largest atoll is Kwajalein which has a land area of 16 square kilometers and surrounds a 1,700 square kilometers lagoon.

The population of the islands was estimated to be over 58,410 in 2018. The residents here are mostly the descendants of Marshallese people. However, there are a few immigrants from China, US, Philippines, and the Pacific Islands.

The currency of the country is US dollar. The main source of economy is the service economy. After that, agriculture and fishing are other sources.

The islands have very few natural resources hence imports are far more than exports. Exports include coconut oil, fish, Trochus shells (sea-snail shells), and copra (dried coconut meat). Commercial crops grown here are coconuts, melons, tomatoes, and breadfruit.

The shark island here is the largest shark sanctuary in the world. It boasts of 2,700,000 to 4,600,000 square kilometres of protected area. Also, shark fishing is banned across the waters here.

Although, The Flame of the Forest flower is found mostly all over and is considered as a symbol for blessings by the locals.

There is hardly any native animal or plant life here. There are only a few migratory birds or marine life that can be seen here.

The beautiful waters surrounding the country boasts of 1,000 fish species, almost 250 species of soft and hard corals; and numerous World War II shipwrecks. It’s definitely one of the best places to scuba dive in the world.

When it comes to ship registries, Marshall Islands is the top second choice after Panama. Since Marshallese vessels need not be owned, various companies chose this country to be their flag state.

A 'Kemem' party, which is the celebration of first birthday of a person, is a huge event here! They celebrate it with all the traditional food delicacies and have a great party. Long time back, infant mortality rates were very high which is why Kemem parties have a huge significance in their culture.