MrWeb's MR-a-thon

Officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line, just north of the Equator and north of Nauru and Kiribati. The country consists of 29 atolls and 5 isolated islands. The most important atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak Chain and the Ralik Chain (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains).

In the l'te 1700s, after 2000 years of isolation, these Micronesian islands were variously visited, settled, colonised or occupied by British, Russians, Germans, Japanese and Americans (at first by missionaries, later by defence forces). From 1946 to 1958, as the site of the Pacific Proving Grounds (and the famous Bikini Atoll), the US tested 66 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands, including the largest nuclear test the US ever conducted, Castle Bravo. Nuclear claims between the US and the Marshall Islands are ongoing, and health effects from these tests linger. Independence from the US came on the 21st October 1986.Capital: Majuro. Two-thirds of the nation's population lives on Majuro, the capital, and Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic development. Life on the outer atolls is generally still fairly traditional.