Skip Navigation

Marshall Islands

Travel Guide > Oceania > Marshall Islands

In this Article

Quick Facts

Marshall Islands flag

Map of Marshall Islands

[edit]

Local Name
Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ
Capital
Majuro
Government
Constitutional Government in free association with the USA
Nationality
Marshallese
Population
61,000
Languages
Marshallese, English
Religions
Christianity (Protestant, Catholic)
Currency
US Dollar (USD)
Calling Code
+692
Time zone
UTC+12
[edit]

Introduction

Photo not found

The Marshall Islands, like the neighbouring Northern Mariana Islands, were passed from Spanish to German to Japanese to American hands. Like the Marianas, they were the site of fierce fighting during WWII. The Marshalls, however, were treated to the honour of becoming a nuclear testing ground of the United States. Bikini and Enewetak Atolls were deserted as dozens of bombs were exploded. Unable to be settled again, Bikini Atoll has proceeded to become a dumping ground for the radioactive waste of North America and Asia.

While the Marshallese have plenty to be angry about, most travellers are amazed at their friendliness. Culture beats strong, with traditional practices evident in daily life. Beyond anthropological adventures, most tourists are attracted to the Marshalls for their diving opportunities: stunning coral scenery and haunting WWII wrecks are what make the Marshalls killer diving ground.

Top

[edit]

Islands

29 atolls and 5 isolated islands make up the Marshall Islands. The most important atolls can be divided into two island chains.

  • Ratak Chain (sunrise)
  • Ralik Chain (sunset)

Most of the population live on Majuro atoll (the capital) and Ebeye atoll.

Top

[edit]

Getting There

By Plane

Marshall Islands International Airport (MAJ), also known as Amata Kabua International Airport, is the gateway to the country. Flag carrier Air Marshall Islands is based here in this airport but operates domestic, inter-island flights only. Continental Airlines, operated by its subsidiary Continental Micronesia, flies into Majuro from Chuuk, Guam, Honolulu, Kosrae, Kwajalein and Pohnpei.

This is version 6. Last edited at 0:39 on Apr 25, 08 by Hien (+122). 4 articles link to this page.

More about Marshall Islands on Travellerspoint

Community Activity

Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License