Marshall Islands Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The land area is 181.3 square kilometers (including Bikini Atoll, Eniwetok Atoll, and Kwajalein Atoll), and the marine exclusive economic zone covers an area of 2.131 million square kilometers.

【 Population 】 54300 (2017), mostly of Micronesian ethnicity. Marshallese is the official language and English is commonly used. 54.8% of the residents are Protestants, 25.8% are members of the Church of God, and 8.7% are Catholics.

【 Capital 】 Majuro.

President Hilda C. Heine was elected in January 2024.

[Important Festival] Constitution Day: May 1st.

【 Overview 】 Located in the Micronesian region of the Central Pacific. It consists of 1225 islands and reefs, including 29 atoll groups and five small islands. The islands and reefs in the southeast are collectively referred to as the Sunrise Islands, while those in the northwest are collectively referred to as the Sunset Islands, with a distance of approximately 208 kilometers between the two parts. The vast majority of the population is concentrated on the capital Majuro and the island of Ebeye in Kwajalein Atoll. The coastline is 370.4 kilometers long. It belongs to a tropical climate with an average annual temperature of 27 ℃ and an average annual precipitation of 3350 millimeters. The rainy season is from May to November, and the dry season is from December to April of the following year.

In the early 16th century, Western sailors arrived here. In 1788, British captain John Marshall came here to survey, and the archipelago was named after it. In 1886, it became a protected territory of Germany. At the beginning of World War I, it was occupied by Japan and became a base for Japan's operations in the Pacific during World War II. From 1944 to 1947, the United States implemented military control over it. In July 1947, the Marshall Islands were placed under the trusteeship of the United States by the United Nations, and later became one of the four political entities of the Pacific Islands Trust Territory along with the Republic of Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. On June 25, 1983, the Free Association Treaty was officially signed with the United States (which came into effect in October 1986). According to the treaty, Malaysia gains domestic and foreign autonomy, and its security and defense are the responsibility of the United States for 15 years. It can participate in regional organizations, but cannot participate in the United Nations. In December 1990, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to terminate the trusteeship agreement for some of the Pacific Trust Territories, ending Malaysia's trusteeship status. In September 1991, Ma became a member of the United Nations.

The Constitution was passed in March 1979 and came into effect on May 1st. The Constitution stipulates that the Marshall Islands implement a presidential system. The President is the head of state and also the head of government, elected by the parliament.

The parliament, also known as the National Assembly, is a unicameral system composed of 33 members with a term of four years. The current parliament will open in January 2024, with Speaker Brenson Wase. In addition, traditional horse leaders (Iroji) have important voice in issues related to land, traditional culture, and social customs.

The current cabinet will be formed in January 2024, with the following main members: Ota Kisino, Minister of Health and Human Services; Joe Bejang, Minister of Education, Sports and Training; Bretty Lakjohn, Assistant to the President and Minister of the Environment; Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Jess Gasper Jr., Minister of Culture and Interior; and Wisely Zackhras, Minister of Justice, Immigration and Labor.

[Administrative divisions] The country is divided into 24 municipal regions, with major towns including Majuro, Ebeye, Jalut, etc.

The judicial system includes the Supreme Court, High Court, District Court, Community Court, and Traditional Rights Court.

Hilda Hein: President. He served as Minister of Education from 2012 to 2015 and as the eighth President of the Marshall Islands from 2016 to January 2020. Appointed as the 10th President of the Marshall Islands in January 2024.

Economically backward, heavily reliant on foreign aid, with over 60% of the budget relying on financial donations from the United States and other countries and regions. Since 2006, the government has actively promoted the privatization policy of state-owned enterprises, reduced government debt levels, increased investment in education, strengthened infrastructure construction, and achieved certain economic development.

The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 280 million US dollars.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 6310 US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 3%.

Currency name: US dollar.

(Source: International Monetary Fund)

【 Resources 】 The sea area is vast, and there are mineral resources such as cobalt shells and manganese nodules on the seabed. Some islands contain phosphates and are rich in fishery resources, with great potential for the development of marine aquaculture and fishing industry.

Agriculture produces coconuts, bananas, taro, breadfruit, etc. Recently, there has been a significant increase in fishery production, with a slight increase in coconut production. Due to the increase in purchase prices, the output value has grown significantly.

Transportation: Inter island transportation relies on sea and air freight.

Highway: with a total length of 2028 kilometers.

Water transportation: The Marshall Islands is the world's second largest registered ship country after Panama, with a total registered tonnage of 245.745 million tons in Malaysia. Majuro is the main port.

Air freight: There are 15 airports, of which only four have well paved runways. The main airport is in Majuro and can take off and land Boeing 737 aircraft. Marshall Airlines has regular flights to many islands in the country and neighboring Pacific island countries. United Airlines and Nauru Airlines operate weekly flights between Honolulu, Guam, Majuro, and neighboring Pacific island countries.

The main source of revenue for finance is overseas aid.

Main bank: Bank of Marshall Islands, a commercial bank established in November 1982.

The export product structure is single, and foreign trade has been in deficit for years. The main trading partners are the United States, Japan, Australia, and China, with Malaysia US trade accounting for over 80% of Malaysia's total trade volume.

We mainly export frozen fish, coconut oil, coconut cakes, and handicrafts, while importing food, fuel, tobacco, building materials, automobiles, and machinery and equipment. The main sources of imports include the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China.

[Foreign aid] The main donors are the United States, Japan, the European Union and Taiwan, China, of which the United States is the largest.

There is one hospital each in the capital and Ebeye Island, with a total of 113 beds and about 120 medical staff. In early 2010, Ma connected the submarine cable and opened high-speed network services.

According to the agreement with the United States, the defense of the Marshall Islands is the responsibility of the United States.

Education: Compulsory education is implemented for children aged 6-14, and tuition fees for public schools are fully waived. Marshall Islands College (Junior College) has nearly 400 students. The government provides scholarships to eligible students.

The main newspaper is the privately run Marshall Islands Weekly. The government publishes bulletins irregularly. There are satellite communication devices on the island. There are three television stations, one of which is an independent station.

[Foreign Relations] We support national self-determination, attach importance to climate change issues, advocate for the protection of marine resources and the environment, develop regional cooperation, establish a nuclear free zone in the South Pacific, actively seek to develop relations with Asian countries, carry out equal and mutually beneficial friendly cooperation, and promote our own economic development.

In September 1996, the Marshall Islands signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. In July 2010, the 34th Annual Conference of UNESCO held in Brazil voted to include the Bikini Atoll nuclear test site in the Marshall Islands in the World Cultural Heritage List (where the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958).

Established diplomatic relations with over 70 countries and is a member of more than 20 international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Asian Development Bank. Set up embassies and permanent ambassadors in the United States, Fiji, Japan, and United Nations headquarters.

The relationship with the United States has been under American trusteeship for many years and has close ties with the United States. According to the 1986 Malaysia US Free Association Treaty, Malaysia enjoys domestic and foreign autonomy, but defense is the responsibility of the US for 15 years, and Malaysian citizens are free to enter and exit the US. In May 2003, Malaysia and the United States renewed the treaty, promising to continue providing economic assistance to Malaysia for 20 years and gradually establish a trust fund for Malaysia. From 1986 to 2002, the United States provided over 1 billion US dollars in economic assistance to Malaysia. In May 2019, US President Trump met with Marshall Islands President Hein and leaders of the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau at the White House. In September 2022, President Ma Kabua went to the United States to attend the US Pacific Island Leaders' Summit. In September 2023, President Ma Kabua will attend the second US Pacific Island Leaders' Summit in the United States. In October 2023, Malaysia and the United States renewed the Free Association Treaty, and the United States will provide $2.3 billion in aid to Malaysia over the next 20 years. The agreement will be approved by the United States in March 2024.

Ma has embassies and consulates in Washington and Hawaii respectively. The United States has an embassy in Malaysia.

The relationship with Japan was once occupied by Japan. The relationship between Ma and Ri is close. The average annual aid to Malaysia is about 4-5 million US dollars. In 1997, Japan established an embassy in Malaysia and sent an ambassador. Volunteers have been sent to Malaysia since 1991. In May 2018, President Hilda Hein went to Japan to attend the 8th Japan Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting (PALM8). In July 2024, President Hilda Hein went to Japan to attend the 10th Japan Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting (PALM10).