Marshall Islands
Oceania · Majuro · MH
The Marshall Islands are the far-flung Pacific nation of the double chains of the atolls, a country of the ocean and the coral spread over a vast expanse of the central Pacific between the islands of the Micronesia and the Hawaiian chain. The nation, one of the most scattered and the lowest-lying countries on earth, is built entirely of the atolls, the ring-shaped jewels of the reef and the lagoon, whose highest points struggle barely above the waves of the endless blue sea. The capital on the atoll of the Majuro, the wartime history of the truk of the lagoon and the world-famous diving of the wrecks of the islands give the country its strong, watery identity, while the terrible atomic history of the atolls of the Bikini has left the unhealed scars of the nuclear age in the middle of the Pacific. Beautiful, fragile and profoundly oceanic, the Marshalls are the true kingdom of the atoll.
Overview
Marshall Islands is a country in Oceania. Its capital is Majuro and the international dialling code is +692. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Marshallese and English. Local currency is the US Dollar (USD). We also list 1 city in Marshall Islands: Majuro.
The Double Chain of the Atolls and the Gardens of the Reef
The nation lies across the two parallel chains of the atolls, the eastern chain of the Ratak and the western chain of the Ralik, a thousand scattered islands of the coral that together form the smallest and the most sea-based of the countries of the Pacific. Each atoll, the ring of the reef that once edged a sunken volcano, encloses its calm turquoise lagoon, its groves of the coconut and the pandanus and its passage of the sea, and the traditional life of the people still turns on the canoes, the fishing and the lagoon gardens of these fragile rings. The island hopping of the chains, moving between the villages of the outer atolls by the boats of the island, is the truest way to feel the scale and the isolation of this extraordinary oceanic realm.
The Capital of the Majuro and the Markets of the Lagoon
The capital of the country, the crowded string of the islets of the Majuro atoll that knots into the town of the Delap, is the political and the commercial heart of the Marshall Islands, a low, waterfront town of the shops, the government buildings and the ever-present lagoon. The museum of the island, with its story of the navigation, the war and the atomic age, the great coral beach of the Laura and the canoe-house of the local tradition anchor the visits of the capital, while the outer islets of the atoll, reached by the tiny boats of the harbour, offer the empty beaches and the lagoon gardens. The daily life of the town, the fishing boats, the church choirs and the relaxed rhythm of the island, gives the introduction to the modern Pacific country of the Marshalls.
The Bikini and the Legacy of the Atomic Atolls
The atoll of the Bikini, the ring of the reef in the northern Ralik chain made famous beyond its size by the atomic tests of the mid twentieth century, is in many ways the moral centre of the Marshall story, the home of the displaced people and the scarred lagoon of the nuclear age. The sunken fleet of the warships, the target ships sunk at the anchorage of the Bikini that now lies on the floor of the lagoon as the greatest shipwreck diving site of the world, and the stories of the exiles and the fallout of the tests, give this beautiful lagoon its terrible, consequential history. The neighbouring atolls of the Rongelap, with their own displaced communities and their own atomic memories, complete the extraordinary and painful chapter of the Pacific nuclear era.
The Culture of the Canoes and the Masters of the Sea
The Marshallese people, among the greatest navigators of the Pacific, developed one of the most astonishing maritime technologies of the human world, the outrigger canoes of the great duration and the stick charts that mapped the wave patterns and the current lanes of the ocean. The old navigators of the atolls read the swell of the islands across hundreds of kilometres of open water, guiding their vessels between the chains, and the canoe houses and the festivals of the islands still honour these masters of the sea. The workshops where the canoes of the tradition are still shaped, and the present-day sailing races of the atolls, keep alive the proud oceanic culture of the oldest seafarers of the Pacific.
The Reefs of the Outer Atolls and the Life of the Lagoon
The waters of the outer atolls of the Marshalls, far beyond the town of the capital, shelter the extraordinary marine life of the central Pacific, the walls of the corals, the schools of the pelagic fish and the turtles and the rays that cruise the lagoons of the reefs. The diving the wrecks and the pinnacles of the channels, where the sharks and the mantas gather in the moving water, and the snorkelling of the reefs of the reef edge, with their gardens of the hard coral and their clouds of the tropical fish, give the unforgettable underwater experience of the Islands. The remote atolls of the north, with their giant clams and their nesting seabirds, complete the picture of a Pacific nation whose entire living wealth lies beneath the surface of its extraordinary lagoons.
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- Capital
- Majuro
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Languages
- Marshallese, English
- Calling code
- +692
- Internet TLD
- mh
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Marshall Islands.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Marshall Islands?
Majuro is the capital of Marshall Islands, and the country sits in Oceania.
What currency is used in Marshall Islands?
You pay with US Dollar (USD) in Marshall Islands. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Marshall Islands?
The languages we list for Marshall Islands are Marshallese and English. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Marshall Islands?
The dialling code for Marshall Islands is +692 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Marshall Islands do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Marshall Islands: Majuro (capital).