Marshall Islands: Geography#
Location | Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia |
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Geographic Coordinates | 9 00 N, 168 00 E 9.0,168.0 |
Area | total: 181 sq km land: 181 sq km water: 0 sq km note: the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and encompasses the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik [Verified in 8 databases] |
Land boundaries | 0 km |
Coastline | 370.4 km |
Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
Highest Mountains | |
Terrain | low coral limestone and sand islands |
Natural Hazards | infrequent typhoons |
Natural Resource | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
Land Use | arable land: 11.11% permanent crops: 44.44% other: 44.44% (2011) |
Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
Irrigated Land | 0 sq km (2011) |
Renewable Water Resources | NA |
Environment_CurrentIssues | inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Rita, Majuro; Ebeye, Kwajalein; Laura, Majuro; Ajeltake; Enewetak According to Geonames: Majuro; Ebaye; Arno; Jabor; Wotje Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
Geography-note | the islands of Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground, surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific |