Marshall Islands

We're on to country #121, the Marshall Islands. This tiny country is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, and is a collection of  29 atolls (ring shaped reefs). Those atolls account for somewhere around 1,150 islands and islets, but the entire area of the Marshall Islands is 70 square miles, making it the 7th smallest country in the world. The only countries smaller than the Marshall Islands is Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, San Marino and Lichtenstein. 

The population of the Marshall Islands is small too. With around 53,000 citizens it is also one of the least populated countries in the world. 

The Marshall Islands are really just two big island chains, that sit back to back. The Ralik and Ratak Chains, as they are called in Marshallese, translates to Sunset and Sunrise in English. 

The country does speak Marshallese, but English as well. About 80% of the country identifies as Christian, and they have been a country since 1986. 

Now, some countries like Tuvalu and Nauru, you might not have ever heard of before (that is, of course, before you read my blogs). But, the Marshall Islands may ring a bell. 

Throughout history, the Marshall Islands has been claimed by various countries due to their strategic location. But, it's the United States that still holds a military presence today. For whatever reason, we actually decided the Marshall Islands, and specifically Bikini Atoll would be a good place to detonate nuclear bombs for testing purposes. Between 1946 and 1958, 23 nuclear devices were detonated by the United States at seven different test sites located on the reef, inside the atoll, in the air or underwater. Twenty of those 23 devices were hydrogen bombs. 

On March 1, 1954, Operation Castle Bravo, the U.S. largest-ever detonation of a nuclear bomb occured on Bikini Atoll. The Bravo Hydrogen Bomb was 1000 times the magnitude of Hiroshima.  The bomb vaporized three islands. 

So what happened to all those people living on Bikini Atoll? Well, there was 167 Bikini Islanders relocated in 1947.  The U.S. government moved them, telling them that it was for the 'good of mankind' and that their sacrifice would help 'end all world wars. The residents were promised it would be a short time before they would be able to come back. Their relocation was to be temporary. 

They were put on an uninhabited island chain. It wasn't sustainable. The Marshallese are hailed for their great fishing skills, but even that was of mostly no use. Most of the fish around the island were poisonous. So they were eventually relocated to Kili Island. Prone to serious flooding, and only about 1/6 of the size of their previous home, this wasn't ideal either. 

It's been 71 years and despite a failed attempt to return the islanders to their home in the 1970's, it still isn't safe for the residents to return home. Making matters worse from them Kili Island, their new home, is feeling the effects of climate change, as the highest point is just under 10 feet above sea level. The ocean, has occasionally contaminated all the wells on the island, and occasionally the runway is unusable because it is too muddy. At this point over 600 people are on the island (evacuees and their descendants), and it just cannot sustain all those people. 

As you might expect, the radiation of the 1950's was not as contained as the US government thought, and many of those islanders have faced a series of health problems including high rates of cancer.  The people really want to go home. While reading now find some atolls where tests took place safe, Bikini Atoll's radiation readings still exceed minimum accepted levels (although not as terribly dangerous as it once was). 

The U.S has made, what I can only describe as a half-hearted effort to make it up to the people of Bikini Atoll, and as such the Marshallese, especially those effected, have a justifiable distrust of our government. The US does payout some money to the Marshall Islands, but  reports of exactly how much are a little sketchy. It doesn't look like its enough to clean up the island, or even move to a more sustainable island. The Marshall Islands government, along with the US send a couple shipments of a food a year to the people on Kili Island, but it still falls flat. In 2015, the people of Kili Island requested money from the US government to be able to move once again. As far as I can tell, there's been no resolution there. Basically, the situation sucks. And I feel sort of bad it wasn't even one I knew existed until I learned about the Marshall Islands. 

Our landmark falls into all of this as that it is the Bikini Lagoon. The lagoon here was used as a grave yard for ships after WWII. The sunken ships obviously became radioactive during the tests, but the lagoon is so undisturbed that today it is full of life and a divers dream. In 1996, the Bikini Council authorized diving operations as a means to generate income for the Bikini Islanders. The tours are limited to a few dozen experienced divers a week, and include a detailed history of the nuclear tests. They cost over $5000 an expedition. 

So all this talk about Bikini Atoll, and you've no doubt thought about the Bikini swimsuit. This is actually where the two-peice suit gets it name from. A French designer named his new swim suit after Bikini Atoll, hoping it would be as 'awe-inspiring' as the bombs. Kind of messed up, if you ask me, but I guess it stuck. 

Oh, and the word 'Atoll' comes from Charles Darwin, or at least he coined the phrase from the Maldives. 

I spent a lot of time on Bikini Atoll, but there are other atolls. The outer islands, through it all, have retained the pristine feel of a neon-blue pacific paradise. The people of the Marshall Islands embrace their remote location, and are seen as some of the best navigators (using stick charts), fisherman, and canoe builders in the world. 

They are also a very young nation- over half the population in under the age of 24. 

As far as wildlife, of course there is a lot lurking under the sea, including it's fair share of sharks- but on land you'll find the coconut crab. It's the largest crab in the world (they get up to 3 feet), and they get their name from the trees they climb. Then, they knock the coconuts to the ground, and open them with their pinchers. 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib made various islands, a sunken ship, and a coconut crab. 

Peyton put Spongebob's Bikini Bottom in his ocean, so he would remember 'Bikini Atoll'. 

And Hayden made note of the younger population, and the sunken ships. 

Marshall Islands is typical food of the Pacific- coconut, fish and all that. But, they do have farms to grow some vegetables and they raise pigs and chicken. Plus, they, like the other island nations, have their fascination with spam. 

And, due to the Hurricane here at home, I had to be creative, so we swung by the Epcot Food and Wine Festival for this one. Technically, there is no 'Marshall Island's' food booth at the festival. But, there is a Hawaii one, and it does fit in with the food typical of the Marshall Islands. 

We got the Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise, which everyone loved. (Full disclosure: We have this one every year, and it is ALWAYS delicious). 

But we also decided to try the Teriyaki-glazed Spam Hash with Potatoes, Peppers and Onions and Spicy Mayonnaise. This one was a surprise. Hayden LOVED it. Asa, Calib, and I thought it was ok (especially given our run-in with the Spam Sushi in Hawaii- BLAH!), and full disclosure, again, Peyton refused to try it (because of that Spam Sushi) 

I think I'm going to use the Food and Wine Festival for a few other countries. I'm hoping to go twice more, and squeeze some in, because, well, I love the Food and Wine Festival, and it might help us catch up and make up for days when Asa is in the office. 

We did also kind of do a Marshall Island's lunch here too before Asa went off to work one day. Despite what happened between the US and the people of Bikini Atoll, the Marshall Islands has a soft spot for American foods-  coleslaw, doughnuts, hot dogs, pizza, and French fries. Pair that with some canned (or jarred- it's way better), peaches and you have another Marshall Island's meal on the fly. (This is what we had the day I taught the lesson). 

We colored the Marshall Islands in blue dots, to the north of yellow Nauru, out there in the pacific ocean. I think we only have two Oceania countries left. 

Next Up: Back to Africa for another small country, Swaziland!