Flight Island Marshall
US Department Of State Post Report
The total population of the Marshall Islands as of the 1999 census was 50,840 people. That was an increase of 7,460 people since the 1988 census. Majuro and Ebeye are the two urban population centers. Over 50% of Marshallese live on Majuro Atoll. Out of the total population, 19% live in the island of Ebeye in Kwajalein Atoll and 3% on the outer islands of Kwajalein Atoll. With just 0.14 square miles, Ebeye Island is the most densely populated area in the Marshall Islands, with an equivalent population density of 66,750 persons per square mile. The city of Majuro and Ebeye offer amenities, such as electricity, modern Western lifestyles, and employment opportunities (albeit limited) that continually draw younger Marshallese from the outer islands. On the outer atolls the lifestyle is mostly unchanged and untouched by modern development. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: U.S. Seeks to Promote Stability, Growth in Pacific Islands
The Pacific island states have expressed strong support for the U.S. war on terrorism. They have indicated a desire to support the U.S. more effectively, but many do not have the resources or technical expertise to do so. Many of these countries are served by U.S. air carriers or have direct flights to the U.S. Senior legal, law enforcement, and financial regulatory officials representing 14 island state members of the Pacific Islands Forum (12 independent countries and the self-governing New Zealand dependencies of the Cook Islands and Niue) attended the Pacific Island Regional Counter-terrorism (CT) Workshop in Honolulu at the end of March. Legal and law enforcement experts from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have been working with their island counterparts to improve their border enforcement capabilities and legal infrastructure. Much work remains to be done. In the near future we plan to notify Congress of our intent to finance a project through the Secretariat ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: Missile Defense Director Outlines Evolving Program
The technical and operational challenges of intercepting ballistic missiles are unprecedented. While these challenges are significant, our testing accomplishments to date tell us that they are not insurmountable. Given the threats we expect to face, there is a premium on fielding a highly reliable and effective system. Reliability will be realized, in part, through redundancy in our system. Effectiveness is partly a function of the number of opportunities the system provides to intercept an in-flight missile and how early and how often those opportunities occur in the missile's flight. Because we need redundancy, we determined that whatever BMD systems we deploy, they should allow multiple engagement opportunities in the boost, midcourse, and terminal phases of a ballistic missile's flight. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: Satellite Shows that El Nino Drives Global Rain Patterns
Scientists also have known several regions with abundant rain are not influenced by the El-Nino/La-Nina changes, including the Bay of Bengal and the vast expanse of the Western Pacific Ocean between the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and the Marianas. ... NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ... Rainfall data from land and island stations were used to extend this index back in time and to compare it with the ENSO sea-surface temperature and atmospheric pressure. The results showed a strong relationship between the rainfall patterns and ENSO. "The fact that the rain-change index, which comes directly from global measurements, tracks the ENSO indices from the 1950s to the present confirms that El Nino is the principal driver of global year-to-year rainfall change," Haddad said. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Transcript: Pentagon Briefing On National Missile Defense Program
We have had the four flights that are shown on here to date. The first two flights were not intended as intercept flights. The first two flights are actually intended to try to get a better information on the complex target arena. There is a variety of sophisticated and unsophisticated decoys that we would then get discrimination data for both the radars and for the interceptor seekers, so that we can see how they behave. ... Gen. Kadish: Good afternoon. Yesterday, we gave the final approval to proceed with the intense preparations for conducting this Flight Test 5 on the 7th of July, and between now and then, there will be an awful lot of people out at Kwajalein Island, Vandenberg Air Force Base and other places in the country working hard to make this flight test a success. ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic (05/05)
The island of Hispaniola, of which the Dominican Republic forms the eastern two-thirds and Haiti the remainder, was originally occupied by Tainos, an Arawak-speaking people. The Tainos welcomed Columbus in his first voyage in 1492, but subsequent colonizers were brutal, reducing the Taino population from about 1 million to about 500 in 50 years. To ensure adequate labor for plantations, the Spanish brought African slaves to the island beginning in 1503. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
The Bahamas stretch over a distance of some 760 miles from northwest to southeast and includes 30 inhabited islands, 661 cays, and about 2,387 exposed reefs. The total land area is approximately 5,380 square miles, about the size of Wales or two‑thirds the size of Massachusetts. The largest island is Andros, with an area of 2,300 square miles and the smallest inhabited island is Spanish Wells, with an area of one-half mile. The highest point is 206‑foot high Como Hill on Cat Island. Some of the most beautiful beaches and lagoons in the world are located in the Bahamas. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
How and when the Palauan Islands were first settled is uncertain. Perhaps about 10,000 years ago, people moved into the Micronesian islands from what is now Indonesia and the Philippines. The first permanent settlements, however, may not have been before 500 A.D. The first extended contact with Western civilization occurred in 1783 when the British vessel ‘Antelope’ shipwrecked near Koror. Outside important trade routes, Palau was generally left alone until Spain formalized claims to Palau in 1885. In 1899 Germany purchased most of Spain's Micronesian island chains in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Germany lost possession to Japan in 1914. The League of Nations formally extended Japan's mandate in 1920. During World War II, on September 15, 1944, U.S. forces landed on the Palauan islands of Peleliu and Angaur where they fought one of the memorable battles of the Pacific war. In 1945 control of Pa ... [Read More]
Foreign Entry Requirements
AUSTRALIA - *Passport, Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or non-electronic label visa, proof of onward or return ticket, and sufficient funds are required. An ETA or non-electronic label visa is required for tourist or business stays of up to 3 months. An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia and can be obtained online at www.ETA.immi.gov.au or through participating travel agencies or airlines. Minors not accompanied by a parent or traveling with only one parent need notarized written parental consent from the absent parent(s). AIDS test required for permanent resident visa for applicants age 15 and older; tests taken in the U.S. are acceptable. More information about entry requirements to Australia (including for longer stays) is available on the Embassy of Aus ... [Read More]
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