capital is on Majuro Atoll.
Geography
The Marshall Islands are part of the
region known as Oceania. They are scattered
over about 770,000 square miles
(2,000,000 square kilometers). The
atolls and islands are made of coral
attached to the tops of underwater volcanoes.
The land is low and flat. The
climate is hot and humid all year.
Plants and Animals
Palms and breadfruit trees are the Marshall
Islands’ main plants. Many fish,
dolphins, octopuses, and turtles live in
the surrounding waters.
People
Most of the people are Micronesians.
They speak Marshallese. English is also
common. Christianity is the main religion.
More than half of the population
lives on Majuro and Kwajalein atolls.
The rest of the people live in villages on
other islands.
Economy
The economy of the Marshall Islands
depends on money received from the
United States. Many people work at a
U.S. missile-testing area on Kwajalein
Atoll. Other people in the cities work
for the government or in tourism. On
the outer islands, fishing and farming
are common. Crops include coconuts
and breadfruit.
History
Micronesians arrived on the islands
more than 2,000 years ago. John Marshall,
a British sea captain, explored the
area in 1788. The islands were named
after him. Germany took control of the
islands in 1886, but Japan seized them
in 1914.
DuringWorldWar II (1939–45) the
United States took over the islands. The
United States used Bikini and Enewetak
atolls to test nuclear weapons. The testing
badly damaged the atolls.
The Marshall Islands gained independence
from the United States in 1986.
However, the U.S. military still protects
the country.
..More to explore
Coral • Majuro • Oceania
Facts About
MARSHALL
ISLANDS
Population
(2008 estimate)
53,200
Area
70 sq mi (181 sq
km)
Capital
Majuro
Form of
government
Republic
Major towns
Majuro, Ebeye,
Laura, Ajeltake,
Enewetak
62 Marshall Islands BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Marsupial
Marsupials are a group of mammals that
are known for carrying their young in a
pouch. The name marsupial comes from
the Latin word marsupium, which means
“pouch.” Kangaroos, koalas, and opossums
are well-known marsupials.
Marsupials live in forests, lakes and
streams, grasslands, and even underground.
More than 170 species, or
kinds, live in Australia, New Guinea,
and nearby islands. About 70 species live
in South and Central America. One
species, the Virginia opossum, lives in
North America.
Most marsupials range in size between a
small cat and an average-sized dog. But
they can be much larger or smaller. The
largest marsupial is the red kangaroo of
Australia. It can be 10 feet (3 meters)
long from its head to the tip of its tail.
The smallest marsupials are the mouselike
planigales. They grow to only about
4 inches (10 centimeters) long.
Marsupials are not fully developed at
birth. They are tiny and blind. Right
after birth they climb up their mother’s
belly and begin to drink milk from the
mother’s nipples. In most species the
nipples are in a pouch that the young
crawl into. The young stay in the pouch
Marsupials have a wide range of body shapes and sizes.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Marsupial 63
for weeks or months, drinking the
mother’s milk. Some marsupials do not
have pouches. In these species the young
simply cling to the mother’s nipples.
After the young stop depending on their
mother’s milk, they can leave the pouch
and look after themselves. But they run
back to the pouch when danger threatens.
The young of the koala and some
other marsupials cling to the mother’s
fur after they have outgrown the pouch.
#More to explore
Kangaroo • Koala • Mammal
• Opossum
Martial Art
Martial arts are fighting skills that
people practice for sport or for selfdefense.
Most of them developed in
eastern Asia. The word martial comes
from Mars, the ancient Roman god of
war. However, most of the martial arts
are not violent. Many followers of the
religion of Buddhism use martial arts to
help achieve spiritual awareness. Other
people use martial arts to develop selfdiscipline.
Martial arts require high levels
of both physical and mental training.
Students of the martial arts are commonly
ranked according to skill level.
They wear colored belts that represent
their degree of skill. The darker the
color, the higher the rank. The black
belt represents the highest skill level.
Martial arts can be divided into armed
and unarmed arts. The armed arts use
weapons; the unarmed arts do not. In
the unarmed arts opponents use their
feet and hands to strike or wrestle with
each other. In Japan the warriors called
samurai were trained in both armed and
unarmed arts.
Armed Martial Arts
The armed martial arts historically
included archery (shooting arrows with a
bow) and fighting with swords or spears.
The martial art called ninjutsu used a
wide variety of weapons. Ninjutsu is a
Japanese word that means “fighting
methods of the ninja.” The ninja were a
secret group of highly trained martial
artists. They were spies and fighters for
Japanese rulers known as warlords. The
ninja used such weapons as blowguns
with poisoned darts, brass knuckles, and
throwing devices.
In modern times versions of the armed
