MARSHALL ISLANDS. Republic of the Marshall Islands
An island nation in Oceania, comprising two groups of coral islands in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean (Ratak and Ralik), north of the equator. Area — 181.3 km². Capital - Majuro, on the eponymous atoll. Administratively divided into 25 districts. Population — 55.4 thousand (2004), mainly Marshallees. Official languages - Marshallese and English. Religion: the majority are Protestants, with some Catholics. Currency — US dollar.
National holiday - May 1, Constitution Day.
The RMI is a "freely associated" state with the USA. The constitution of 1979 is in effect. The head of state and government is the president (K. Nout). Legislative power is represented by the parliament. It consists of 33 deputies, who elect a president from among themselves for a term of 4 years. The parliament is elected by the population for 4 years.
The Marshall Islands were discovered by the Spaniard A. de Saavedra in 1529, and were thoroughly explored by the Englishmen J. Marshall and T. Gilbert in 1788 (named after Marshall). From the 17th to the 19th century, the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands, as well as the Palau Islands, located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, were a colony of Spain. In 1885, Germany seized the Marshall Islands, taking advantage of Spain's weakening, and in 1898 purchased the Caroline and Mariana Islands from her. In 1914, the islands were seized by the Japanese, and in 1920, the League of Nations granted Japan a mandate to govern them. In 1945, the islands were occupied by the Americans, and in 1947, by a decision of the UN Security Council, Micronesia (the general name for the islands) became a trust territory of the UN, administered by the USA. Until 1952, the trust territory known as the Pacific Islands (PTTO) was under the jurisdiction of the US Navy, then it was transferred to the management of the US Department of the Interior. In 1962, a civil administration was introduced in the islands of the trust territory, headed by the American High Commissioner. In 1964, the Micronesian Congress was established as a local legislative body with limited powers. In 1967, the Micronesian Congress created a Commission on the Future Political Status of the Islands. As a result of a lengthy negotiation process with the USA, 4 independent political-administrative units emerged from the PTTO. The first to leave the PTTO were the Northern Mariana Islands, whose population voted in 1975 for the status of "freely associated" territory with the USA.
The corresponding agreement was signed in 1976, which meant the end of US trusteeship over the newly formed Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The covenant of association with the Northern Mariana Islands officially came into effect on November 3, 1986. The residents of the CNMI became US citizens and received local autonomy. However, issues of finance, defense, and foreign relations remain under US jurisdiction.
Since May 1979, the Republic of the Marshall Islands has existed.
In 1983, as a result of plebiscites conducted under UN supervision, the populations of two parts of the PTTO - the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM; located in the central and western Caroline Islands) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) - expressed their support for the status of "free association" with the USA for 15 years. After signing the relevant agreements (with FSM in 1982, with RMI in 1983), the United States ended its trusteeship over these territories in 1986. The status of "freely associated" states with the USA implies that FSM and RMI possess internal self-governance and a certain degree of independence in foreign policy.
Defense matters remain the prerogative of the USA. In December 1990, the UN Security Council abolished the trusteeship agreement over FSM and RMI. In September 1991, at the 46th session of the UN General Assembly, both states were admitted to the UN. The interest of the Micronesian states in ending trusteeship was explained by both political and economic considerations; this contributed to broader recognition of their status and simultaneously provided the opportunity to receive assistance from international organizations for their socio-economic development.
For the residents of the 4th part of the PTTO - Palau, plebiscites on "free association" with the USA were held 7 times between 1983 and 1993, failing to gather the required number of votes. After lowering the voting threshold from 75% to 51%, the 8th plebiscite was held in 1993, with 68% of voters supporting association with the USA. By the end of September 1994, the transitional period ended, and on September 1, 1994, Palau declared independence within the framework of "free association" with the USA for a period of 50 years. In November 1994, the UN Security Council abolished the trust territory status for Palau. In December 1994, the Republic of Palau was admitted to the UN.
The foundation of the economy is agriculture and fishing. The main export goods are coconut oil, copra, fish products, corals, and items from local handicrafts. Annual exports amount to 3 million dollars, while imports are about 2 million dollars. A significant portion of foreign currency earnings comes from tourism. GNP per capita is 1900 dollars.
The newspaper "Marshall Islands Gazette" is published. There is a commercial government radio service and a television center.