TM Republic of the

CultureGrams
Kids Edition 2017 Marshall Islands

The two main island groups are called the Ratak Chain and the Ralik Chain. Ratak means "sunrise," while Ralik
means "sunset."
The average elevation of each island is just 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level.
The Polynesian rat is the only land mammal native to the Marshall Islands.
The Marshall Islands is home to the world's largest shark sanctuary, which covers an area four times the size of
California.
Elugelab is an extinct island that was used as a hydrogen bomb test site by the United States military and was
blown up in 1954. The blast left behind a crater more than a mile wide and 165 feet (50 meters) deep.
Marshallese society is traditionally matrilineal (based on the mother's family line), and land is passed down from
one generation to the next through the mother's line.
A kemem (child's first birthday) is a very important event. Family and friends gather to sing, eat, and celebrate the
baby surviving its first year of life.
The traditional Marshallese chant called the roro told of ancient legends and was used to strengthen mothers
giving birth, to give guidance to navigators on their journeys, and to encourage warriors going to war.

Flag
Blue represents the Pacific Ocean. Orange stands for the Ralik Chain of islands, the
sunset, and courage. White symbolizes the Ratak Chain of islands, sunrise, and peace.
The star represents Christianity, while each of the 24 rays stands for one of the districts
in the nation.

National Image
The blue on the seal of the Marshall Islands represents the sea. The angel stands for
peace. The other symbols on the seal include a canoe, a palm tree, and a nautical
(seafaring) chart.

Land and Climate

Area (sq. mi.)

70
Area (sq. km.)
181

The Marshall Islands is located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. They are
made up of two main archipelagos (island chains)the Ratak and the Ralik. The two
chains run parallel to each other from northwest to southeast and include many islets
(tiny islands) and atolls (ring-shaped reefs). Most of these are made of coral limestone
or sand. All together, they cover an area about the same size as American Samoa or
the city of Washington, D.C. Twenty-four of the islands are inhabited. Because the
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islands are at such a low elevation, they are at risk of flooding when sea levels rise.

The climate of the Marshall Islands is tropical, meaning it is warm and humid most of
the year. The wet season runs from May to November, and the islands sometimes
experience tropical storms and typhoons. The Marshall Islands has a shortage of
freshwater, most of which comes from rainfall, and so droughts (dry periods) can be a
problem.

Population

Population
73,376

The majority of the population is Marshallese. A small percentage is mixed race. Around a third of the population is
under the age of 15. Most people live either in the capital city of Majuro or on the island of Ebeye. Very few people live
on the outer, smaller islands because there are not enough jobs there. In recent years, many Marshallese have moved
to the United States in search of work.

Language
Marshallese is the official language of the Marshall Islands. There are two main dialects (ways of speaking or
pronouncing) of MarshalleseRatak and Raliknamed after the archipelagos (island chains) where they are spoken.
Many people speak English as a second language. Similar to the Hawaiian word aloha, the Marshallese word yokwe
means "hello," "good-bye," and "love."

Can You Say It in Marshallese?

Hello Yokwe (YOKE-way)
Good-bye Yokwe (YOKE-way)
Please Jouj (zhoozh)
Thank you Kommol (KO-mole)
Yes Aaet (eye-YET)
No Jaab (zahb)

Religion

Source: The World Factbook 2017. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2017.

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Most Marshallese are Christian, many of them Protestants. Smaller groups include members of the Assembly of God,
Roman Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, and people who do not belong to any religion. Several churches run religious
schools on the islands. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and missionaries from many different faiths are
allowed to teach and work freely in the Marshall Islands.

Time Line
2000 BC
2000 BC The first Micronesian navigators arrive in what is now the Marshall
Islands
AD 1500
AD 1592 Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar lands on the islands
1788 British naval captain John William Marshall gives the islands their
current name after sailing through the area with prisoners headed for
Australia
1800
1864 German Adolph Capelle establishes the first trading company on the
islands, which is followed by several other German trading companies
1874 Spain claims the islands
1885 Germany annexes (takes over) the Marshall Islands and pays Spain
4.5 million U.S. dollars in exchange; the powerful German trading
companies take over the running of the islands

1886 Germany makes the islands a German protectorate (country protected

by another country)
1900
1914 Japan captures the islands and builds several large military bases
there
1920 The League of Nations allows Japan to officially administer the islands
1944 U.S. forces capture the islands from Japan
1946 The United States begins testing nuclear weapons on Bikini Atoll
(ring-shaped coral reef); the islanders agree to evacuate on the
understanding that they will be able to return once the tests end
1947 The Marshall Islands becomes part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands, created by the United Nations (UN) and run by the United
States
1948 Islanders are forced to evacuate Enewetak Atoll when the United
States expands its nuclear weapons testing to the area
1952 The first hydrogen bomb is detonated on the island of Elugelab

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1954 The most powerful hydrogen bomb ever tested is detonated by the
United States on Bikini Atoll

1965 The United States starts a long-term project to decontaminate Bikini

Atoll
1970s The islanders are told it is safe to return to Bikini but later are found to
have dangerous levels of radiation in their bodies and are evacuated
again; the islanders begin to develop severe health problems as a
result of exposure to such high levels of radiation
1979 The United States recognizes the Constitution of the Marshall Islands
and its government; Amata Kabua is elected president
1980 After the United States removes much of the topsoil on Enewetak Atoll,
islanders are allowed to return
1982 The nation is officially renamed the Republic of the Marshall Islands
1983 Marshallese vote in favor of the Compact of Free Association with the
United States, which will give them independence as well as financial
and other aid from the United States
1986 The United States agrees to the Compact of Free Association, giving
the Marshall Islands independence; islanders are promised
compensation for damages caused by nuclear tests in the 1940s and
1950s
1989 The UN warns that rising sea levels will completely flood the Marshall
Islands by 2030 as a result of global warming
1990 The Marshall Islands joins the UN
1996 Radiation levels are believed low enough for tourism to return to Bikini
Atoll
2000
2008 The government declares a state of emergency as waves flood Majuro
and Ebeye
2013 Pacific Island leaders meet in the Marshall Islands and sign the Majuro
Declaration, promising to tackle climate change
2016 Hilda Heine is elected the first female president of the Marshall Islands

PRESENT

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Early Navigators
The first known inhabitants of what is now the Marshall Islands were Micronesian
navigators who settled there around 2000 BC. They came from Southeast Asia. Very
little else is known about their lives, except that they traveled between the islands in
canoes and used stick charts to navigate. These stick charts were made by arranging
sticks into different patterns that represented major ocean currents and where the
individual islands were located within those currents. These early peoples tied shells
onto the framework to represent the islands. The threads stood for the directions of
wave patterns, while the sticks were usually made from the central veins of coconut
palm fronds. The navigators studied and memorized these ancient maps before setting
out on a journey.

European Explorers
The first European explorer to land on the islands was Spanish explorer Alonso de
Salazar. He arrived in 1592. Because of the dangerous reefs, later explorers did not
come until English explorers Thomas Gilbert and John Marshall arrived in 1788. The
islands were later named after Marshall. Spain claimed the islands in 1874, but
Germany also wanted them. After some negotiation, Spain allowed Germany to take
over in 1885 in exchange for a few million dollars. Germany made the islands a
German protectorate (country protected by another country). They set up trading
stations on the islands to send valuable copra (dried coconut), which was used to make
coconut oil, around the world. Missionaries, whalers, and traders passed through the
islands frequently. Local chiefs signed agreements with the German administrators.

World Wars
During World War I, Japan occupied the islands and later gained colonial control over
them. The Japanese tried to change the matrilineal (through the mother's family line)
social system to a traditional Japanese patrilineal (through the father's family line)
system but were not successful. During this time, islanders were forced to go to
Japanese schools and learn the Japanese language and culture. The Marshall Islands
went on to become an important strategic location for Japan during World War II.

The United States invaded and occupied the islands in 1944. During the bombing,
many islanders were injured and did not have enough food or drink. After the end of the
war, the Marshall Islands, as well as several other island groups, passed into the
control of the United States. The United States used the islands as a nuclear weapons
testing ground in the years after the war. In 1952, the first hydrogen bomb was
detonated on the island of Elugelab. The health effects of the nuclear testing continue
to plague Marshallese today, and the United States has paid millions of dollars in
compensation to the islanders because of their exposure to radiation.

Modern Marshall Islands

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Marshallese began to push for independence. The country
became self-governing in 1979. In 1986, the Marshall Islands formally entered into what
was called the Compact of Free Association with the United States. This allowed the
United States to give the Marshall Islands financial and humanitarian aid and defense in
exchange for the right to continue to use its missile testing range in the islands.
Otherwise, the nation has complete control of its affairs.

As a result of climate change, rising sea levels have become a major problem for the
Marshall Islands. The capital city of Majuro flooded in 2008 and has experienced major
flooding on a yearly basis ever since. Drought (dry period) can also be a problem, as

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there is not enough freshwater to support the population. This results in food shortages
as well as the spread of disease.

Games and Sports

Volleyball and basketball are popular sports in the Marshall Islands. Men and women
play on local teams. Kids also enjoy swimming, track and field, and baseball. Traditional
canoe races are common. Every four years, the Micronesian Games are held. Athletes
from the Marshall Islands, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands,
and the Federated States of Micronesia compete against each other in many events.

Holidays
Christmas and New Year's Eve are favorite holidays in the Marshall Islands. Families gather together at Christmas to
eat a meal, sing, dance, and go to church. On New Year's Day, Marshallese go caroling, and people give the carolers
gifts of candy in exchange for their songs.

On Remembrance Day, people remember the anniversary of one of the worst nuclear tests conducted on the islands
between 1946 and 1958. On this day, flags are flown at half-mast.

Food
Marshallese meals are usually simple. A typical meal includes rice. It is often served
with a can of spam, tuna, or corned beef on the side. Dinner is the main meal of the day
and almost always includes fish, sometimes jaajmi (raw fish). Little kids usually eat first,
and everyone shares the meal, eating with their fingers. Favorite fruits include papaya,
limes, bananas, and coconuts. On the outer islands, people cook their food over open
fires. On special occasions, they cook their meals in ground ovens, or cooking pits,
called umum.

Schools

Adult Literacy
93.7%

Kids in the Marshall Islands begin school when they turn five. Public school is free
through twelfth grade. Classes are taught in Marshallese in the earlier primary
(elementary) grades, while English is used in the later primary and the secondary (high)
school grades. Students have to compete to get into the five public high schools, and
so some children do not go to school after eighth grade. Some finish secondary school
and go on to the College of the Marshall Islands, while others choose to go to university
in other Pacific Islands or in the United States.

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Life as a Kid
Life for children in urban (city) centers and children in rural (countryside) areas is very different. Children in the urban
areas of Majuro and Ebeye get up in the mornings and get ready for school. When they come home from school, they
do their homework and then play with friends. Some kids are expected to do chores around their home, such as
collecting water to fill their family's water catchments (area where rainwater is collected), sweeping the house, or
cooking a pot of rice to get ready for dinner.

In the outer islands, most children wake up to the sound of roosters crowing. They are expected to do some early yard
work, such as picking up fallen leaves under their family's breadfruit tree and raking leaves around their homestead,
while the mothers or aunts prepare breakfast. Most of this is done at the crack of dawn, before they have their
breakfast and get ready for school. After school, outer island children help their elders with copra (dried coconut)
production by gathering mature coconuts and husking them. They also help fish for the family's dinner, prepare the
family's cooking fire, or gather raw materials to make handicrafts that they will sell. They rarely have free time, as they
are expected to contribute to the upkeep of the family's surrounding homestead.

Government

Capital
Majuro
Head of State
President Hilda C. Heine
Head of Government
President Hilda C. Heine

The Marshall Islands is a presidential republic (government whose leaders are elected)
in free association with the United States, meaning it has control of all its own affairs,
but the United States takes care of its defense and provides some financial aid in
exchange for the use of some land. The nation's lawmaking body includes the
33-member Nitijela and the 12-member Council of Iroij made up of traditional chiefs.
Members of the Nitijela are elected by the people to serve four-year terms. They also
choose the president from their own members to serve a four-year term. The voting age
is 18.

Money and Economy

Currency
U.S. dollar

The money provided by the United States makes up the majority of the Marshall
Islands' economy. Some of the money comes from rent the United States pays in
exchange for use of the Kwajalein Atoll as a military base. Some small farming and
fishing take place, but there are not very many natural resources. Copra (dried coconut)
is the main farm product. It is used to make coconut oil and is exported (sold to other
countries) around the world. Tourism also brings in some money and is being
developed. Supporting the growing population is an area of concern.

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Getting Around
Most people travel on boats or ships to get between islands. Planes also carry passengers. On the outer islands,
people get around on bicycles or pushcarts or by walking. In city centers like Majuro, there are major roads to drive
cars and taxis on. There is an international airport in Majuro.

Sharing Is Caring
Marshallese culture is rooted in sharing and caring for one another. If you have food
and others around you do not have food, it is considered polite to offer it, no matter how
small an amount it is. Everything is communal (shared by all members of a community),
and sharing what you have, when you have it, helps maintain peace and harmony in
the small, tightly knit communities. For example, if one household goes fishing and
returns with a lot of fish, the catch is split up and shared with the immediate neighbors
and families. In return, these people offer what food they have available in their homes,
whether it is breadfruit off their tree or other crops they have on their land or in their
fridge. The Marshallese phrase for this way of life is Enra bwe jen lale rare, which
loosely translates to "Sharing to take care of others."

Learn More
Contact the Embassy of the Marshall Islands, 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone (202)
234-5414; web site www.rmiembassyus.org/index.htm.

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