Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and
1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites;
Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US
missile test range

@Marshall Islands:People

Population: 60,652 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 15,550; female 14,926)
15-64 years : 48% (male 14,732; female 14,032)
65 years and over: 2% (male 662; female 750) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.85% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 45.54 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.07 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 45.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.14 years
male: 62.57 years
female: 65.79 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.78 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups: Micronesian

Religions: Christian (mostly Protestant)

Languages: English (universally spoken and is the official language),
two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family,
Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population : 93%
male: 100%
female: 88% (1980 est.)

@Marshall Islands:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form : Marshall Islands
former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands)

Data code: RM

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

National capital: Majuro

Administrative divisions: none

Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN
trusteeship)

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

Constitution: 1 May 1979

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

Suffrage: 1