Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are situated approximately between the Philippines and Hawaii. More than 1 200 islands and islets in two parallel chains of coral atolls constitute the country: the Ralik, to the west and the Ratak to the east. The chains lie about 200 km apart and extend some 1 287 km northwest to southeast. Most of the atolls consists of irregular, oval‐shaped coral reefs surrounding a lagoon; the islets lie along the coral reef. The islands and islets of the Ratak chain tend to be more heavily wooded than those of the Ralik. The main vegetation consists of coconut and pandanus palms and breadfruit trees. Soils are generally sandy and of poor quality. Several of the northern atolls are uninhabited owing to insufficient rainfall.

The climate is tropical. The average temperature is very stable, with a monthly average of 28 °C through the year. Average annual rainfall in the Marshall Islands is below 2 800 mm and varies from 500 to 800 mm in the north, to 4 000 mm in the southern atolls. September, October and November tend to be the most humid months with a rainfall of more than 280 mm per month, while a drier season occurs between December and April. -—
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—- Many pacific typhoons begin as tropical storms in the Marshall Islands region and grow stronger as they move west toward the Mariana Islands and the Philippines.

Main activities in the islands include agriculture, fishing, shipping, tourism and farming. The Marshall Islands is among the three leading countries in foreign ship registrations after Panama and Liberia, making ship registration, along with fishing license fees, an important source of revenues. Pig and poultry farming are important agricultural activities, as are the major food crops: coconut, pandanus, breadfruit and taro. Copra is the chief source of income for the outer islands. Key export destinations include Poland, Denmark, Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Cyprus. The country is dependent on imported food, machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods and fuels; primarily from the United States of America, Japan and Australia. Remittances are important, accounting for almost 15 per cent of GDP -—
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—-. In 2018, inbound tourism expenditure reached almost 10 per cent over GDP. EVI of the Marshall Islands is the second highest among the SIDS and in the world -—
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Extended families and clan systems are common on the islands. Marshallese society is matrilineal where land is passed down from generation to generation through the mother.

Local food specialties include breadfruit, coconut, bananas, papaya, seafood, pandanus and bwiro. Food preservation has been a historic part of Marshallese culture and continues to be practiced today.

Throughout the years of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, United Nations day was an important holiday, but that has now been replaced by Marshall Islands Independence Day. Other important celebrations commemorate the end of suffering during World War II and Kurijmoj (Christmas), a ritual event of up to four months in duration, celebrated by all (not only church members).

The most popular sports in the Marshall Islands are softball and baseball. Both sports are growing at a fast pace. The Marshall Islands achieved a silver medal in men's 200 m and two bronze medals in women's 100 m and 200 m in the Micronesian Games in 2014.