Marshall Islands |  |
| |
Marshall Islands | |
|
| |
| capital: | Majuro |
| geographic coordinates: | 7 06 N, 171 23 E |
| time difference: | UTC + 12 |
| daylight saving time: | NO |
|
After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. |