Majuro
Encyclopedia
Majuro (Marshallese
: , m), is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain
of the Marshall Islands
. The atoll itself has a land area of 9.7 square kilometres (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometres (113.9 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses.
The main population center, also named Majuro, population 25,400 , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
. Majuro has a port, shopping district, hotels, and an international airport.
–Uliga
–Djarrit (listed from south to north, on the eastern edge of the atoll). As of 2008, Majuro has a population of 30,000. Most people are Christians.
, a growing residential area with a popular beach. Laura has the highest elevation point on the atoll, estimated at less than 10 feet above sea level.
Laura has the best soil for planting and has several farms.
Majuro Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884, and the Germans established a trading outpost. As with the rest of the Marshalls, Maruro was captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy
in 1914 during World War I and mandated to the Empire of Japan
by the League of Nations
in 1920. The Japanese administration of the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
, but mostly left local affairs in hands of traditional local leaders until the start of World War II.
On January 30, 1944, United States troops invaded, but found that Japanese forces had previously evacuated their fortifications to Kwajalein
and Enewetak
about a year earlier. A single Japanese warrant officer had been left on the island as a care taker. With his capture, the islands were secured. This gave the U.S. Navy use of one of the largest anchorages in the Central Pacific. The lagoon became a large forward naval base of operations, and was the largest and most active port in the world until the war moved westward and it was supplanted by Ulithi
.
Following the end of World War II, Majuro came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
. It supplanted Jaluit Atoll
as the administrative center of the Marshall Islands, a status that it retains after the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.
On September 15, 2007, Witon Barry, of the Tobolar Copra processing plant in the Marshall Islands
' capital of Majuro, said power authorities, private companies and entrepreneurs had been experimenting with coconut oil
as an alternative to diesel fuel for vehicles, power generators
and ships. Coconut trees abound in the Pacific's tropical islands. Copra from 6 to 10 coconuts makes 1 litre oil.
Air Marshall Islands
has its headquarters in Majuro.
, Assumption High School, and Uliga Elementary School where English is taught to all students.
Djarrit is mostly residential. It has the largest public primary and a secondary schools in the country, including Marshall Islands High School located near the north end of Majuro.
The University of South Pacific has a presence on Majuro.
, offering domestic and international service, is located on Majuro Atoll. It is served by two passenger airlines: Continental Airlines
and Air Marshall Islands
.
Additionally, the lagoon acts as a harbor for commercial fishing
vessels, cruisers, sport fishing boats, outrigger sailing canoes and the occasional luxury yacht.
of the Micronesian Games
, in 2010. It subsequently renounced its hosting rights, citing a lack of adequate infrastructure.
Marshallese language
The Marshallese language is a Malayo-Polynesian language of the Marshall Islands, and the principal language of the country...
: , m), is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain
Ratak Chain
The Ratak Chain is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ratak means "sunrise". It lies just to the east of the country's other main island chain, the Ralik Chain...
of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. The atoll itself has a land area of 9.7 square kilometres (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometres (113.9 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses.
The main population center, also named Majuro, population 25,400 , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. Majuro has a port, shopping district, hotels, and an international airport.
Demographics
The major population centers are the D–U–D communities: the islets of DelapDelap
Delap is an island town in the Marshall Islands. It is located in the east of Majuro Atoll. Along with Uliga and Djarrit it forms what is known as the "D–U–D communities"....
–Uliga
Uliga
Uliga is an island town in the Marshall Islands. It is located in the east of Majuro Atoll. Along with Delap and Djarrit it forms what is known as the "D–U–D communities"....
–Djarrit (listed from south to north, on the eastern edge of the atoll). As of 2008, Majuro has a population of 30,000. Most people are Christians.
Geography
At the western end of the atoll, about 30 miles (48.3 km) from D–U–D by road, is the island community of LauraLaura, Marshall Islands
Laura is an island town in the Marshall Islands. It is located in the west of Majuro Atoll. At approximately 10 feet above sea level, Laura has the highest elevation of any islands in the Majuro Atoll. Marshall Islands International Airport is located on the island of Laura. A road connects the...
, a growing residential area with a popular beach. Laura has the highest elevation point on the atoll, estimated at less than 10 feet above sea level.
Laura has the best soil for planting and has several farms.
History
Humans have inhabited the atoll for at least 2,000 years.Majuro Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884, and the Germans established a trading outpost. As with the rest of the Marshalls, Maruro was captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
in 1914 during World War I and mandated to the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
by the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
in 1920. The Japanese administration of the island came under the South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...
, but mostly left local affairs in hands of traditional local leaders until the start of World War II.
On January 30, 1944, United States troops invaded, but found that Japanese forces had previously evacuated their fortifications to Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
and Enewetak
Enewetak
Enewetak Atoll is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area totals less than , surrounding a deep central lagoon, in circumference...
about a year earlier. A single Japanese warrant officer had been left on the island as a care taker. With his capture, the islands were secured. This gave the U.S. Navy use of one of the largest anchorages in the Central Pacific. The lagoon became a large forward naval base of operations, and was the largest and most active port in the world until the war moved westward and it was supplanted by Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
.
Following the end of World War II, Majuro came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1986.-History:...
. It supplanted Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Most of the land area is on largest islet of Jaluit . Jaluit is located...
as the administrative center of the Marshall Islands, a status that it retains after the independence of the Marshall Islands in 1986.
Economy
Majuro's economy is driven by the service sector.On September 15, 2007, Witon Barry, of the Tobolar Copra processing plant in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
' capital of Majuro, said power authorities, private companies and entrepreneurs had been experimenting with coconut oil
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
as an alternative to diesel fuel for vehicles, power generators
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
and ships. Coconut trees abound in the Pacific's tropical islands. Copra from 6 to 10 coconuts makes 1 litre oil.
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands is an airline based in Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. It is the flag carrier of the Marshall Islands, operating inter-island services in the South Pacific. Its main base is Marshall Islands International Airport, Majuro.- History :...
has its headquarters in Majuro.
Education
Uliga is home to the College of the Marshall IslandsCollege of the Marshall Islands
The College of the Marshall Islands is a regionally accredited autonomous community college offering associate degree programs in liberal arts & sciences, business and information technology, elementary education, and nursing. It also offers high school equivalency, community extension, student...
, Assumption High School, and Uliga Elementary School where English is taught to all students.
Djarrit is mostly residential. It has the largest public primary and a secondary schools in the country, including Marshall Islands High School located near the north end of Majuro.
The University of South Pacific has a presence on Majuro.
Air
Marshall Islands International AirportMarshall Islands International Airport
Marshall Islands International Airport , also known as Amata Kabua International Airport, is an airport located in the western part of Rairok on the south side of Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The airport was built sometime after World War II on Anenelibw and...
, offering domestic and international service, is located on Majuro Atoll. It is served by two passenger airlines: Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
and Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands
Air Marshall Islands is an airline based in Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. It is the flag carrier of the Marshall Islands, operating inter-island services in the South Pacific. Its main base is Marshall Islands International Airport, Majuro.- History :...
.
Boat
Majuro Lagoon is an active port that is visited by ships and boats used for various activities. The Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation operates three ships (Aeaman, Langdrik, Ribuukae) and a landing craft (Jelejeletae). These boats are the main link for transporting people and supplies to and from the outer islands.Additionally, the lagoon acts as a harbor for commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
vessels, cruisers, sport fishing boats, outrigger sailing canoes and the occasional luxury yacht.
Roads
Most of the roadway from Delap to Laura is a single two-lane paved road.Sport
Majuro was initially scheduled to host the seventh edition2010 Micronesian Games
The 7th Micronesian Games was held August 1-10 in Palau.Initially, the 7th Games were to be hosted in Majuro, Marshall Islands; however, in April 2008, the organisers announced that the Games could be "scaled down", with a number events cancelled due to a lack of facilities in Majuro. In May 2008,...
of the Micronesian Games
Micronesian Games
The Micronesian Games are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan . Saipan was also the host of the Games' most recent edition, in 2006. The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially due to be held in Majuro , until the...
, in 2010. It subsequently renounced its hosting rights, citing a lack of adequate infrastructure.
Sister cities
| City | Region | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guam Guam Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United... |
 Guam |
 United States |
1973 |
| Kawai Kawai, Nara is a town located in Kitakatsuragi District, Nara, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 19,691 and a density of 2,381.02 persons per km². The total area is 8.27 km².-Public schools:*****-External links:*... |
 Nara Prefecture |
 Japan |
|
| Tapei |  Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area |
Republic of China |
1999 |