The Republic of the Marshall Islands 🇲🇭 is under the jurisdiction and also control of the United States 🇺🇸. This island is located in the Pacific Ocean 🌊, north of the Equator, with almost an area of 181 km².
The territory of the Marshall Islands occupies hundreds of islands arranged in two rows. This island even has an equatorial climate ☀️. So, in this article, let us discuss several interesting Marshall Island facts.
Interesting Marshall Island Facts Discover The Paradise on Earth
Foreign powers ruled the Marshall Islands for centuries
Around 2000 B.C., Micronesian navigators first came here and named these islands “Aelon Kein A.D.” or “our islands.” In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, and the Spanish Miguel de Saavedra came to visit the islands.
Later in 1592, Spain formally claimed the islands; however, the Germans annexed them in 1885, and Japan captured them in 1914. 😮
In 1944, the U.S. 🇺🇸 took control for more than three decades, and lastly, the islands became independent in 1979 and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands 🎉.
The islands have 870 reef systems and 160 species of corals
The Marshalls have 29 separate atolls, containing 870 reef systems, 1225 islands 🏝️, and even 160 species of corals 🐚. It is one of the world’s four atoll nations. Most of the islands are very narrow, and just one road runs their entire length.
Though in the Marshall Islands, there are no native mammals, the country is still full of marine life, including more than 1000 fish species 🐡.
The U.S. 🇺🇸 controls Marshall Islands’ defense and security
The U.S. 🇺🇸 offers millions of dollars in aid and even controls the defense and security of the Marshall Islands 🛡️. Also, it rents out the Kwajalein atoll as a base and even a missile test range. However, some islands are off-limits due to the presence of the U.S. 🇺🇸 military.
Thus, Marshall Island is one of the 22 nations in the world that don’t have a standing military. As a former US-administrated region, the Marshall Islands did not get an army after becoming independent; hence, the U.S.A. 🇺🇸 is responsible for its defense 🛡️.
A British Naval Captain named the island
John William Marshall, a British Naval Captain, gave the Marshall Islands their name. He sailed through the area 1788 with convicts bound for New South Wales ⚓. The island was previously famous as “Joliet jen Anij,” meaning Gifts from God 🎁.
Also, from 1947 to 1994, the Marshall Islands were part of the T.T.P.I. or Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a trust territory of the United Nations administered by the U.S.A.
It is home to the largest shark sanctuary in the world.
In 2011, the Republic of the Marshall Islands formed the largest shark sanctuary in the world 🦈.
Officials introduced new legislation to ban commercial shark fishing in 768,547 square miles or 19990530 square km of the country’s waters 🌊, an area four times larger than California. Only Honduras, Palau, the Maldives, Tokelau, and the Bahamas have made similar commitments.
The beautiful Marshall Islands 🌴is home to a high diversity of sharks; however, many are threatened with extinction.
The national flag of the Marshall Islands 🇲🇭
The national flag of the Marshall Islands has a blue background with diagonal stripes of white and orange that increase in size towards the upper right corner. In the flag, a large star is also depicted.
The blue background symbolizes the Pacific Ocean 🌊, the orange stripes represent wealth and bravery 💰💪, and the white stripes signify brightness. Also, these two stripes represent the nearby Equator.
The star with 24 points represents the country’s 24 municipalities, with the four longer points symbolizing the capital atoll and the three centers of administration of the subdistricts.
The Marshall Islands were used to test nuclear weapons
The atolls of Enewetak and Bikini in the Marshall Islands were used for testing nuclear weapons ☢️ between 1946 and 1958. The U.S. 🇺🇸 detonated around 67 atomic bombs in 💣, on, and above the Marshall Islands, along with 12 biological weapons tests.
Testing the hydrogen bomb “Castle Bravo”
In 1954, the most significant test of nuclear weapons up to that point took place in the Marshall Islands 💥. The famous hydrogen bomb test, called “Castle Bravo,” was even the first hydrogen bomb that was dropped from a plane ✈️.
To clean up the damage or contamination caused by the tests, a vast concrete dome, famous as “the Tomb,” was built to bury more than 87,782 cubic meters or 35 Olympic-sized swimming pools 🏊♂️ of radioactive debris and soil.
It is the globe’s fourth most obese country
At a minimum, 83.5% of the Marshall Islands’ adult population is overweight. A genetic predisposition, combined with unhealthy Western lifestyles 🍔, has been a primary contributing factor.
With the arrival of the influences of the U.S.A., islanders turned their back on traditional healthy diets of fresh vegetables and fish. They replaced them with energy-dense and highly processed foods 🌭.
Hence, the Marshall Islands is now famous as the fourth most obese nation in the world. In 2016, almost 52.9% of this country’s population was obese.
It is the world’s sixth-smallest sovereign state.
Ranked by its land area, the country of the Marshall Islands is known as the sixth smallest sovereign state on the planet 🌍.
However, despite its small land area, the Republic of the Marshall Islands is scattered across more than 194,491 square miles or 750,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean 🌊, nearly the size of Mexico.
It is the second least visited country in the world.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is also famous as the second least visited country globally 🌍, ranking after Tuvalu. The nation receives about 5,000 tourists per year only.
Moreover, the capital of the Marshall Islands is Majuro 🏝️, which is mainly an atoll comprising 64 islands.
The Marshall Islands comprises 29 atolls, which form when corals build a reef colony around the top of the volcanic island. A reef reaches the water’s surface and becomes land 🏝️. This makes this country one of the two nations created by low-lying coral atolls, another one being Kiribati.
Marshall Island is under serious threat.
With a slight elevation of about two meters, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has one of the lowest average elevations in the world. This, along with the severe effects of global warming, means this island is a serious threat. The maximum height of the country above sea level is just ten meters 🌊.
Rising sea levels seriously threaten a minimum of 40% of existing buildings in Majuro. According to World Bank data, a minimum of 96% of the city is even at risk of severe and frequent flooding 🌊.
It is a member of the United Nations. 🇺🇳
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a member of the United Nations. Also, subsidies offered by the United States and several other nations account for a large share of the state budget.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands maintains diplomatic relations with several countries 🌍, including Russia.
The word “Bikini” was borrowed from the Marshall Islands.
The word “Bikini” was borrowed from the Marshall Islands. Famous French designer Louis Reard designed a swimsuit that no model agreed to wear.
He considered his design a bombshell and named it after the Bikini Atoll, as it was where the U.S. 🇺🇸 tested their atomic bomb the same year.
It is home to the Flame of the Forest.
While discussing flora in the Marshall Islands, you will see a flower called “The Fame of the Forest” 🔥 on almost all atolls. The local people consider it a symbol of blessings.
Also, the Marshall Islands has places with crystal clear water 🏊♀️, and hence, it is an excellent place for diving. The Marshall Islands is home to the Kwajalein Atoll, where you can see the largest lagoon in the world.
The territory of the Marshall Islands
On the territory of this country, there are over two thousand kilometers of highways. The islands of this country are notably distant from each other. There are almost a little more than fifty thousand people on this island.
In addition, this country publishes two newspapers, one public and one private. Also, there are only two hospitals in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the country’s currency is the U.S. Dollar 💰.
Sports and The Marshall Islands
The most popular sport in the Marshall Islands is basketball 🏀. Moreover, in 2008, athletes from the Republic of the Marshall Islands took part in the Olympics Games for the first time but have yet to win any prizes.
There is a limit on the natural freshwater supply.
In the Marshall Islands, there is a limit on the natural freshwater supply 🌧️. Rain is the primary source of freshwater here, and the 36.5 million gallons reservoir of the capital city cannot meet the growing demand. Thus, desalination plants will become a new priority and necessity for the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Here people lived without electricity.
As of 2012, over 30,000 citizens of the Marshall Islands were living without electricity. Almost 59% of the population has access to electricity, most of which can be seen in urban areas.
However, electricity production ⚡ is increasing here, as, in the year 2016, the country’s electricity output was 650 million kWh.
Her primary education is mandatory.
In the Marshall Islands, primary education is mandatory; hence, most students complete their compulsory education at about the age of 14 ✏️.
So, the Republic of the Marshall Islands is a beautiful country with its beautiful landscape, exciting wildlife, rich history, interesting people, incredible culture, and many more.
At the end of this article, we learned 20 interesting facts that offer us a clear picture of this beautiful country, The Republic of the Marshall Islands. You can visit our website if you want to know some additional facts.
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