ABSTRACT
19.1 The Republic of the Marshall Islands consists of two parallel chains of islands and atolls, roughly 800 miles long, between Hawaii and Guam in the central Pacific Ocean, with a total population of some 74,000. A former UN Trust Territory that was administered by the USA until 1986, the country is now an independent democracy with a constitution based on British and US concepts. The legislature consists of the Council of Iroij of 12 members and the Nitijela, the law-making chamber which has 33 members. The head of State is the President who is elected every four years by the Nitijela. The legal tender is the US dollar (US$).
