Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Marshall Islands: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Facts

Also Known As Majōl • Republic of the Marshall Islands
Head Of State And Government President: Hilda C. Heine
Capital Majuro2
Population (2026 est.) 38,000
Form Of Government unitary republic with one legislative house1 (Nitijela, or Parliament [33])
Official Language Marshallese3
Official Religion none
Official Name Majol (Marshallese); Republic of the Marshall Islands)
Total Area (Sq Km) 181
Total Area (Sq Mi) 70
Monetary Unit U.S. dollar (U.S.$)
Population Rank (2026) 218
Population Projection 2030 57,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi (2026) 542.9
Density: Persons Per Sq Km (2026) 209.9
Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2024) 79.2% • Rural: (2024) 20.8%
Life Expectancy At Birth Male: (2021) 62.1 years • Female: (2021) 68.6 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2024) 319
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2024) 8,500
1In addition, the Council of Iroij (Council of Chiefs), a 12-member body of tribal chiefs, serves in an advisory capacity.2Local name of town is DUD (an acronym for Delap [Woja], Uliga, and Djarrit [Rita]—three small islands now merged by landfill).3Language of the Nitijela, or Parliament.

Photos and Videos

Marshall Islands
Map of the central and western Pacific Ocean highlighting the Marshall Islands and surrounding island nations and territories. The map shows political boundaries, major cities, and key islands within the Caroline Islands archipelago and nearby regions, with red lines demarcating each country or territory. Neighboring locations such as Guam, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati, and U.S. territories like Midway and Hawaiian Islands are also labeled.
A fisherman in a small boat floats on clear blue water near a sandy beach with a leaning palm tree in Majuro, Marshall Islands.
Map showing the location of the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, outlined in orange, with nearby countries and territories labeled, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. The capital, Majuro, is marked within the Marshall Islands.
Map of the Pacific Islands region showing political boundaries, major island groups, and countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and Kiribati. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation and ocean depth, with key islands and capitals labeled throughout the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Population-density map of Pacific island countries and territories, with darker shading indicating more people per square kilometer. Naoero is the most densely populated, while many larger island groups, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia, have lower densities.
Hydrogen bomb
Three U.S. Marines in combat gear operate a machine gun on the sandy beach of Namur Islet, with damaged concrete buildings in the background during World War II.
U.S. Marines taking a Japanese prisoner in the Marshall Islands
The nuclear history of Likiep atoll explained
National anthem of the Marshall Islands
See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
default image
Otto von Kotzebue
Russian explorer

Related Places

Map of the Pacific Ocean showing depth contours in varying shades of blue, major submarine features such as trenches, ridges, and basins labeled throughout the ocean, and neighboring landmasses including Asia, Australia, North and South America. Principal cities along the Pacific rim and island groups are marked, along with international boundaries.
Pacific Ocean
body of water
Political map of Australia and Oceania showing Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations and territories. Countries and territories such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati are labeled, along with territories administered by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand. Surrounding bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea, are also marked.
Oceania
region, Pacific Ocean
Map of the Pacific region highlighting the location of Bikini Atoll within the Marshall Islands. The map shows surrounding countries including the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, with the atoll marked in orange in the central North Pacific Ocean.
Bikini
atoll, Marshall Islands
Map of the central and western Pacific Ocean highlighting the location of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Enewetak is marked in orange text within the cluster of islands northeast of Papua New Guinea and southeast of Japan, with surrounding countries and major bodies of water labeled for geographic context.
Enewetak
atoll, Marshall Islands
Jaluit Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Jaluit Atoll
atoll, Marshall Islands
Majuro
Majuro
atoll, Marshall Islands
Kili, Marshall Islands
Kili
island, Marshall Islands
Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
Kwajalein Atoll
island, Marshall Islands
United States
United States
country, North America
Map of the Pacific Ocean showing the boundaries of the former United States Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which includes present-day Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and Marshall Islands. Neighboring island nations and territories such as Hawaii, Midway, American Samoa, French Polynesia, and Papua New Guinea are also labeled for geographic context.
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
former United States territory, Pacific Ocean

Related Quizzes

Island, New Caledonia.
Islands and Archipelagos