Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands is comprised of 29 atolls and five single
islands, which form two parallel groups--the "Ratak" (sunrise) chain
and the "Ralik" (sunset) chain. Two-thirds of the nation's
population lives in Majuro and Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely
populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic
development.
The Marshallese are of Micronesian origin, which is traced to a
combination of peoples who emigrated from Southeast Asia in the
remote past. The matrilineal Marshallese culture revolves around a
complex system of clans and lineages tied to land ownership.
Virtually all Marshallese are Christian, most of them Protestant.
Other Christian denominations include Roman Catholic, Seventh-day
Adventist, Mormon, Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witness. Small
Bahai, Jewish, and Muslim communities also exist.
Marshallese is the official language. English is spoken to some
extent by most of the adult urban population. However, both the
Nitijela (parliament) and national radio use Marshallese.
The public school system provides education through grade 12,
although admission to secondary school is selective. The elementary
program employs a bilingual/bicultural curriculum. English is
introduced in the fourth grade. Many Marshallese and American
observers have lamented the poor state of the public education
system as a major stumbling block to economic development. The
Marshall Islands' largest secondary institution--the 2-year College
of the Marshall Islands--has experienced U.S. accreditation problems
since 2003. However, thanks to an increase in funding, it has shown
steady improvement since and is heading toward full accreditation.
The University of the South Pacific offers courses at a small campus
on Majuro. |
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Little is clearly understood about the prehistory of the Marshall
Islands. Researchers agree on little more than that successive waves
of migratory peoples from Southeast Asia spread across the Western
Pacific about 3,000 years ago and that some of them landed on and
remained on these islands. The Spanish explorer de Saavedra landed
there in 1529. They were named for English explorer John Marshall,
who visited them in 1799. The Marshall Islands were claimed by Spain
in 1874.
Germany established a protectorate in 1885 and set up trading
stations on the islands of Jaluit and Ebon to carry out the
flourishing copra (dried coconut meat) trade. Marshallese Iroij
(high chiefs) continued to rule under indirect colonial German
administration.
At the beginning of World War I, Japan assumed control of the
Marshall Islands. Their headquarters remained at the German center
of administration, Jaluit. U.S. Marines and Army troops took control
from the Japanese in early 1944, following intense fighting on
Kwajalein and Enewetak atolls. In 1947, the United States, as the
occupying power, entered into an agreement with the UN Security
Council to administer Micronesia, including the Marshall Islands, as
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
On May 1, 1979, in recognition of the evolving political status of
the Marshall Islands, the United States recognized the constitution
of the Marshall Islands and the establishment of the Government of
the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The constitution incorporates
both American and British constitutional concepts. |
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