Republic of the Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Atoll · Remote · Nuclear
Marshall Islands (officially Republic of the Marshall Islands) is a country located in Micronesia. Its capital city is Majuro, with other major cities including Ebeye. With a population of approximately 42,000, the main languages spoken are Marshallese, English. The country covers an area of 181 km². The official currency is the United States dollar ($). Traffic drives on the right side.
Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was the site of 23 US nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958 — the 1954 Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test was 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, irradiating populated islands and crews of nearby fishing vessels.
Majuro serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Marshall Islands, positioned in Micronesia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Ebeye — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Majuro Atoll functions as both the capital and most populous island of the Marshall Islands — a string of islets connected by a single road on land barely 2 metres above sea level, where the administrative, commercial, and residential functions of a national capital occupy a land mass smaller than many urban parks in continental cities.
With a population of approximately 42,000, Marshall Islands is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Marshallese, English, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Marshall Islands is reached via the dialling code +692. Marshallese people carry the most radioactive history of any Pacific nation — US nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak atolls between 1946 and 1958 (67 tests including the 15-megaton Castle Bravo in 1954, the largest US nuclear detonation) displaced entire communities whose descendants still cannot return to their home atolls while simultaneously facing the newer existential threat of sea level rise.
Marshall Islands spans 181 km², in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania. Geographically centred around 9.0°N, 168.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Oceania convention.
The official currency is the United States dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Marshall Islands's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+12:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Outrigger Canoe Racing / Volleyball holds a special place in the heart of Marshall Islands's national identity. Outrigger canoe racing is the Marshall Islands' most distinctly cultural sport — the proa sailing canoe, which the Marshallese developed over 2,000 years to be the fastest non-motorised sailing vessel in the world (based on the principle of a single outrigger with a reversible hull), was the technological achievement that connected the atolls and represents athletic-technological mastery of the ocean.
The highest point in Marshall Islands is Unnamed high point, rising to 10 metres above sea level. Bikini Atoll, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, contains the sunken wreck of the USS Saratoga and other vessels sunk during the 1946 nuclear tests — now one of the Pacific's most extraordinary dive sites, where the scale of the destruction and the subsequent recovery of marine life tell a story of both human recklessness and ecological resilience.