clear test
sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground,
surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile
test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second largest
settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and
one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific

People
Marshall Islands

Population:

63,174 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.5% (male 12,404/female 11,946)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 18,937/female 18,095)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 869/female 923) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21 years
male: 21 years
female: 20.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.142% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

31.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.57 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.9 years
male: 68.88 years
female: 73.03 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups:

Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006)

Religions:

Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot
nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none
1.5% (1999 census)

Languages:

Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)
note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 93.6%
female: 93.7% (1999)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

11.8% of GDP (2004)

Government
Marshall Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conven