Page:The World Factbook (1990).djvu/214

Man, Isle of (continued) employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK.

GNP: $490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Unemployment rate: 1.5% (1988)

Budget: revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.)

Exports: $NA; commodities—tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat; partners—UK

Imports: $NA; commodities—timber, fertilizers, fish; partners—UK

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Agriculture: cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Aid: NA

Currency: Manx pound (plural—pounds); 1 Manx pound (£M) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Manx pounds (£M) per US$1—0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Railroads: 36 km electric track, 24 km steam track

Highways: 640 km motorable roads

Ports: Douglas, Ramsey, Peel

Merchant marine: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,216 GRT/2,984,047 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 5 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 6 liquefied gas, 12 bulk; note—a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned

Airports: 2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: 24,435 telephones; stations—1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV

Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK  Marshall Islands



Geography

Total area: 181.3 km²; land area: 181.3 km²; includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein

Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 370.4 km

Maritime claims:
 * Contiguous zone: 24 nm
 * Extended economic zone: 200 nm
 * Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: claims US-administered Wake Island

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

Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands

Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

Land use: 0% arable land; 60% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 40% other

Environment: occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands

Note: located 3,825 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea; Bikini and Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

People

Population: 43,417 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 39 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: -1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 43 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 75 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.9 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Marshallese; adjective—Marshallese

Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Micronesian

Religion: predominantly Christian, mostly Protestant

Language: English universally spoken and is the official language; two major Marshallese dialects from Malayo-Polynesian family; Japanese

Literacy: 90%

Labor force: 4,800 (1986)

Organized labor: none

Government

Long-form name: Republic of the Marshall Islands

Type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986

Capital: Majuro

Administrative divisions: none

Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship; formerly the Marshall Islands District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)

Constitution: 1 May 1979

Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws

National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Nitijela)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Amata KABUA (since 1979)

Political parties and leaders: no formal parties; President Kabua is chief political (and traditional) leader

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President—last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results—President Amata Kabua was reelected;

Parliament—last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(33 total)

Communists: none

Member of: SPF, ESCAP (associate)

Diplomatic representation: Representative Wilfred I. KENDALL; Representative Office at Suite 1004, 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20006;  198