The Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, the official name of this state, is a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, close to the line of the equator and slightly to the west of the International Date Line, halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

The territory of the Marshall Islands comprises 29 coral atolls (each consisting of many islets) and 5 islands, which are divided into two archipelagos known as Ratak (sunrise) and Ralik (sunset). The territory occupies an area of approximately a million square kilometres, a size similar to that of Mexico, of which the area above sea-level, made up of 1,152 islands and islets, represents just a fraction at only 176 Km2, that is to say, about four times the size of the city of Girona, or for those who don't know the city, an area 9 times smaller than the city of London. Its closest neighbours are the Federated States of Micronesia to the west, the Republic of Nauru and the Republic of Kiribati in the south-east.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has a population of some 54,000 inhabitants [1], most of which live either in Majuro, the capital, or on Ebeye (most of the atolls are uninhabited). Its economy depends to a great extent on the money that the United States contributes as compensation for damage caused by the nuclear testing. The official languages are Marshallese and English.

As mentioned, these islands are not very far above sea level: 8 m at the highest point and 2.1 m on average, making it one of the countries in the world most threatened by global warming, as a small increase in sea levels would flood the majority of the territory.