Marshall Islands: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands is a country of 29 coral atolls and 5 islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of the equator. Its land is very low and flat, with sandy islets wrapped around sparkling lagoons. Its people were expert ocean navigators who sailed between the islands by reading the waves.

About Majuro

Majuro is a ring-shaped coral atoll in the Ratak Chain and is home to about half of the country's people. Its long, narrow strip of land curves around a wide blue lagoon.

Fun facts about Marshall Islands

1. The islands form two chains: Ratak, meaning 'sunrise', and Ralik, meaning 'sunset'.
2. Marshallese navigators made stick charts to map the patterns of ocean swells between islands.
3. The flag's white star has 24 points, and its orange and white stripes stand for the two island chains.
4. In 2011 the country set aside nearly 2 million square kilometres of ocean as one of the world's largest shark sanctuaries.
5. On average, the land is only about 2 metres above sea level.
6. Kwajalein Atoll surrounds a lagoon of more than 2,000 square kilometres, one of the largest lagoons in the world.