Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands is an independent Pacific country made up of atolls and islands in two chains, the Ratak and Ralik. Its capital is Majuro.
Atoll: A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or group of islets surrounding a lagoon. Atolls form the characteristic landforms of the Marshall Islands.
Micronesia: A region of the western Pacific comprising thousands of islands, including the Marshall Islands. The country belongs to this broad island region.
Bikini Atoll: A Marshallese atoll used by the United States for nuclear weapons tests from 1946 to 1958. Its tests displaced residents and left a lasting national legacy.
Castle Bravo: A 1954 U.S. thermonuclear test at Bikini Atoll, the largest nuclear explosion conducted by the United States. Unexpected fallout spread across inhabited atolls and intensified demands for redress.
Marshallese language: An Austronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands, with Ratak and Ralik dialects. Its dialects reflect the country's two principal island chains.
Ratak Chain: The eastern island chain of the Marshall Islands, whose name means “sunrise.” It is one of the two chains named in the country's geographic organization.
Spanish East Indies: Spain's former colonial possessions in the Pacific, including the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Spain claimed the islands before selling its rights to Germany in 1885.
Enewetak Atoll: A Marshallese atoll where the United States conducted nuclear tests, including the 1952 Ivy Mike test. Its test history illustrates the scale of nuclear activity in the islands.
Nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands: U.S. nuclear weapons testing conducted at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls from 1946 to 1958. The tests caused displacement, contamination, and enduring disputes over compensation.
Stick chart: A Marshallese navigational chart made from sticks and shells to represent wave patterns and islands. It records a distinctive way of reading ocean swells between atolls.