Island Marshall Weather
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: GAO Calls for Accountability over Funds to Island Nations
I am pleased to be here today to provide information you requested regarding economic assistance provided by the United States from 1987 through 1998, under the Compact of Free Association, to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In 1986, the U.S. government entered into an international agreement, the Compact of Free Association, with each nation. This Compact represents a continuation of U.S. financial support that had been supplied to these areas for almost 40 years after World War II under the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Specifically, my testimony will address (1) the use of Compact funding by the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, (2) the progress made by both nations in advancing economic self-sufficiency, (3) the role of Compact funds in supporting economic progress, and (4) the amount of accountability over Compact expenditures. My statement will be accompanied by photog ... [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: U.S. Seeks to Amend Compact with Micronesia, Marshall Islands
Thank you for this opportunity to testify on the Administration's progress in Compact negotiations with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). ... The Bush administration is seeking to amend the Compact of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). ... The annual grants to the FSM and RMI will be targeted to sectors most in need of assistance: (a) education, (b) health, and (c) infrastructure. Other areas of special need include capacity building, the environment, and private sector development. The U.S. also proposes to provide an additional $4.1 million per year to the RMI for the special needs of Ebeye (the main island community housing the U.S. defense sites' Marshallese work force) and other Kwajalein atoll communities. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
The outside world had little contact with the islands until the mid-19th century, when American whalers and missionaries entered the region. Spain claimed the Caroline and Mariana Islands in 1885 and retained them until 1899, when Germany purchased most of the island chains in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Germany, in turn, lost its possession to Japan in 1914 at the beginning of World War I. The League of Nations formally extended a mandate to Japan in 1920, thus confirming the Japanese era of colonization. Intensive crop production began, and the islands became exporters of many agricultural products. In 1945, after World War II, control passed to the U.S. Navy and then to the Department of Interior under a Trusteeship under U.N. auspices which began in 1947. The FSM, together with the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Northern Mariana Islands, made up the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The FSM came into existence in 1979, and on November 3, 1986, the FSM and the Uni ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: UNEP Estimates Costs of Global Warming
In some low-lying States such as Maldives, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States .of Micronesia the losses linked with climate change could, by 2050, exceed 10 per cent of their national wealth or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). ... Losses due to severe weather conditions, submerged land, diminished agricultural yields and other consequences of climate change could climb to $300,000 million a year in the future, according to new estimates released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). ... [Read More]
Synopsis of Public-Private Partnerships for Mine Action
The following organizations are working in partnership with the U.S. Government to enable citizens of mine-affected nations "to walk the earth in safety."The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and its Adopt-A-Minefield™ program have raised more than $2.9 million, including contributions from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs, since March 1999 to clear minefields in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, and Mozambique. To learn more about Adopt-A-Minefield™ and how you can personally contribute to mine action, go to www.landmines.org, email info@landmines.org, telephone (212) 907-1300, or fax (212) 682-9185.Warner Bros. has committed the use of its "Looney Tunes" characters to produce animated public service announcements for broadcast around the world to teach mine awareness and acceptance of landmine survivors to children i ... [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]
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]
Department of State Washington File: Text: Administration, Conservation Groups Reach Deal on Rare Species
Island foxes inhabit the six largest islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente islands) off the coast of southern California. Total island fox numbers have fallen from approximately 6,000 individuals to less than 2,000. Habitat on all islands occupied by island foxes has been heavily affected by livestock grazing, cultivation, and other disturbance. Recent island fox declines on San Miguel, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa islands have been attributed to predation by golden eagles. On Santa Catalina Island, the large sudden decline in island foxes has been attributed to canine distemper. ... [Read More]
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