up of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N, 168 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total area: 181.3 sq km
land area: 181.3 sq km
comparative area: about the size of Washington, DC
note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, and Kwajalein

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 370.4 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: claims US territory of Wake Island

Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border
typhoon belt

Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m

Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep
seabed minerals

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 60%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards: occasional typhoons
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

Geographic 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

People
------

Population: 58,363 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 51% (male 15,043; female 14,435)
15-64 years: 47% (male 14,084; female 13,399)
65 years and over: 2% (male 657; female 745) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.85% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 45.75 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 7.28 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 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
all ages: 1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 46.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.81 years
male: 62.25 years
female: 65.45 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.83 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjec