The Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ) is a island country that consists of hundreds of islands in Oceania, spread over 30 atolls and 5 independent islands. It is sandwiched between two fellow atoll countries, the Federated States of Micronesia and Kiribati. The Marshall Islands are a part of Micronesia, a cultural region of the Pacific Ocean, and their official languages are English and Marshallese.
The islands were probably settled by the Malayo-Polynesians from the Solomon Islands in the 2nd millennium BCE. Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar was the first European to see the islands in 1526, though actual contact with the islanders would not occur until a couple of decades later.
The islands were formally annexed by Germany in 1885, following negotiations between the Germans and British regarding their Pacific sphere of influence. After World War I, they lost them, like their other Pacific colonies, to Japan. After World War II, their administration passed to the United States, which decided to conduct a few nuclear tests on the atolls - they even destroyed some atolls with the explosions, evacuating the people there beforehand. The country declared independence in 1979.
Probably the most famous landmark of the Marshall Islands is Bikini Atoll (the type of swimwear was named after it, not the other way around) and its bottom, where SpongeBob SquarePants and company reside. Actually, considering the nuclear tests in the area, the sheer weirdness of Bikini Bottom should not be a surprise. Nuclear testing contaminated the soil to the point that the residents of the atoll had to be relocated.
Also culturally notable is both the Mike test of the first thermonuclear "weapon" during Operation Ivy in 1952 and the infamous Bravo test during Operation Castle conducted in 1954, the error in fuel used resulted in a magnified blast yield, resulting in a massive contamination of fallout which perhaps inspired and is featured heavily in the Godzilla mythos as part of the King of the Monster's origin story. Rising Storm, interestingly, unlike most other World War II games set in the Pacific, actually bothers to cover the Battle of Kwajalein between the US 7th Infantry Division and the Imperial Japanese Army.
The Marshallese flag
The Marshallese national anthem
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Government
- Unitary parliamentary republic with an executive presidency
- President: Hilda Heine
- Speaker: Brenson Wase
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Majuro
- Population: 58,413
- Area: 181.43 sq km (70.05 sq mi) (188th)
- Currency: United States dollar ($) (USD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: MH
- Country calling code: 692
- Highest point: Likiep (10 m/33 ft) (200th)
- Lowest point: Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)