Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an independent island country near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line.
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26 Facts About Marshall Islands
2.
Micronesian settlers reached the Marshall Islands using canoes circa 2nd millennium BC, with interisland navigation made possible using traditional stick charts.
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3.
Marshall Islands has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983 and a United Nations member state since 1991.
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4.
Politically, the Marshall Islands is a parliamentary republic with an executive presidency in free association with the United States, with the U S providing defense, subsidies, and access to U S -based agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the United States Postal Service.
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5.
The majority of the citizens of the Republic of Marshall Islands, formed in 1982, are of Marshallese descent, though there are small numbers of immigrants from the United States, China, Philippines, and other Pacific islands.
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6.
The Marshall Islands were settled by Micronesians in the 2nd millennium BC.
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7.
Marshall Islands were only formally possessed by Spain for much of their colonial history, and on European maps were grouped with the Caroline Marshall Islands which today make up Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, or alternatively the "Nuevas Filipinas" .
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8.
The archipelago corresponding to the present-day country was independently named by Krusenstern, after British explorer John Marshall Islands, who visited them together with Thomas Gilbert in 1788, en route from Botany Bay to Canton with two ships of the First Fleet, and started to establish German and British trading posts, which were not formally contested by Spain.
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10.
Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986.
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11.
Marshall Islands sit atop ancient submerged volcanoes rising from the ocean floor, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated States of Micronesia, and south of the disputed U S territory of Wake Island, to which it lays claim.
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12.
Major religious groups in the Republic of the Marshall Islands include the United Church of Christ – Congregational in the Marshall Islands, with 51.
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13.
Many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting, suffering the similar fates as the Japanese fishermen aboard the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, but have received little, if any, compensation from the federal government.
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14.
Government of the Marshall Islands operates under a mixed parliamentary-presidential system as set forth in its 1979 Constitution.
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15.
In international politics within the United Nations, the Marshall Islands has often voted consistently with the United States with respect to General Assembly resolutions.
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16.
In February 2021, the Marshall Islands announced it would be formally withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum in a joint statement with Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia after a dispute regarding Henry Puna's election as the Forum's secretary-general.
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17.
Major sports played in the Marshall Islands include volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer and a number of water sports.
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19.
Marshall Islands have a small club league, including Kobeer as the most successful club.
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20.
The Marshall Islands is the only sovereign country in the world that does not have a record of a national football match.
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21.
The Marshall Islands achieved a silver medal in the Micronesian Games in 2012, as well as medals in the SPG Games.
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22.
Marshall Islands have few natural resources, and their imports far exceed exports.
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23.
In 2018, the Republic of Marshall Islands passed the Sovereign Currency Act, which made it the first country to issue their own cryptocurrency and certify it as legal tender; the currency is called the "Sovereign".
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24.
Marshall Islands plays a vital role in the international shipping industry as a flag of convenience for commercial vessels.
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25.
In 2007, the Marshall Islands joined the International Labour Organization, which means its labor laws will comply with international benchmarks.
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26.
Marshall Islands are served by the Marshall Islands International Airport in Majuro, the Bucholz Army Airfield in Kwajalein, and other small airports and airstrips.
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