MICRONESIA
Marshall Islands
Located between North
America and Asia, these
1225 islands and islets are
grouped into 29 coral atolls
that together make up more
than one-tenth of all the
world's atolls.
They lie in two parallel chains known as
Sunrise and Sunset (Ratak and Ralik)
Chains. All the islands have white sandy
beaches and are lapped by crystal
clear waters. Twenty-seven atolls are
accessible by small plane with Majuro, the
country's capital, being serviced by Air
Marshall Islands, Continental Micronesia.
The first two also service the second most
populated atoll, Kwajalein.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands was
first settled in about 1000 BC by people
168 www.paradisesonline.com
of Mayo/Polynesian stock. Spanish
navigators visited these islands in the 16th
century, and in 1788 British sea captain
John William Marshall proclaimed them
the Marshall Islands.
In the 1800s German traders, missionaries
from Boston, Massachusetts and Hawaii,
and British and American whalers visited
the islands. Japan governed the islands
from WWI to WWII.
During World War II, the Marshall Islands
served as the eastern defensive perimeter
for the Japanese military forces in the
Central Pacific. After taking control of
the Marshalls from Germany in 1914, the
Japanese steadily increased their military
presence in the late 1930s.
With the anticipation of war, they began
to heavily fortify the atolls of Kwajalein,
Wotje, Maloelap, Jaluit and later Mili and
Enewetak. These heavy fortifications
were intended to help launch air attacks
on certain targets (such as Hawaii, Wake
Island, Kiribati and Johnston Atoll) and to
serve as defense posts for Japan's more
westerly strongholds.
Following WWII, the United States served
as an administrator under United Nations
Trust Territory created for all Micronesia.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands came
into being and declared its independence
in 1979.
Marshallese is the official language, but
English is taught in schools and is widely
spoken. The people have a rich oral
tradition of chants, songs and legends.
Copra (dried coconuts) and a fisheries
industry are the foundation of the island's
economy. However the government,
which is a unique blend of the American
