9 Facts About Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands, also known as the Marshallese Majl, is a country in the central Pacific Ocean. It is made up of some of Micronesia's most eastern islands.

The Marshall Islands are comprised of two archipelagic chains, each with 29 atolls. There are several islands on each atoll.

As a result, the Marshall Islands is one of only two countries in the world made up entirely of low-lying coral atolls, the other being Kiribati.

The country was named after the British explorer John Marshall, who visited in 1788. Previously, the islands were known as "jolet jen Anij" (Gifts from God).

After WWII, the United States used the country for nuclear testing. The United States dropped 67 atomic bombs on the islands between 1946 and 1958. Elugelab, a Marshallese island, was destroyed during a hydrogen bomb test.

The term "Bikini" came from the country. In 1946, French designer Louis Reard created a swimsuit that was so scandalous that no model would wear it. He considered his creation to be a bombshell and named it after the Bikini Atoll, where the United States conducted atomic bomb tests the same year.

The islands are so narrow that only one road runs the length of them. There will be no detours or shortcuts; there will only be one path to take.

The islands are home to over 1,000 different types of fish and over 250 different types of soft and hard corals.

Long before the country was colonised, people here were successfully sailing through vast stretches of open water. They used a technique known as "wave piloting," which involves navigating by feeling the ocean and watching how waves roll and reflect off distant islands. Locals are still attempting to preserve this ancient skill.