| Location | Oceania, consists of 29 atolls and five isolated islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia; the atolls and islands are situated in two, almost-parallel island chains - the Ratak (Sunrise) group and the Ralik (Sunset) group; the total number of islands and islets is about 1,225; 22 of the atolls and four of the islands are uninhabited |
| Geographic coordinates | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| 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 |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 370.4 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt |
| Terrain | low coral limestone and sand islands |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: East-central Airik Island, Maloelap Atoll 14 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 2 m |
| Natural resources | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
| Land use | agricultural land: 50.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 7.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 31.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 11.7% (2018 est.) forest: 49.3% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 0 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | infrequent typhoons |
| 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
