Short facts about the geography of Marshall Islands

Location:

Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates:

9 00 N, 168 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total:  181.3 sq km land:  181.3 sq km water:  0 sq km note:  includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, and Kwajalein

Area - comparative:

about the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

370.4 km

Maritime claims:

contiguous zone:  24 NM exclusive economic zone:  200 NM territorial sea:  12 NM

Climate:

wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt

Terrain:

low coral limestone and sand islands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:  unnamed location on Likiep 10 m

Natural resources:

phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

Land use:

arable land:  0% permanent crops:  60% permanent pastures:  0% forests and woodland:  0% other:  40%

Irrigated land:

NA sq km

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to:  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified:  Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:

two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

Source: World Factbook