The people of the Marshall Islands are of Micronesian origin, which is traced to a combination of peoples who emigrated from Southeast Asia in the remote past. The matrilineal Marshallese culture revolves around a complex system of clans and lineages tied to land ownership. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Virtually all Marshallese are Christian, most of them Protestant. Other Christian denominations include Roman Catholicism, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mormon, Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witness. A small Bahá'í community also exists. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe—a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a Protestant evangelical Christian denomination founded in 1865 by Methodist ministers William Booth and Catherine Booth. ... Seat of the Universal House of Justice, governing body of the Baháís in Haifa Israel The Baháí Faith is a global religion founded by Baháulláh, a 19th century Persian exile. ...

Both Marshallese and English are official languages. English is spoken by most of the urban population. However, both the Nitijela (parliament) and national radio use Marshallese. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Nitijela is the name given to the lower house of the Marshall Islands legislature. ...

The public school system provides education through grade 12, although admission to secondary school is selective. The elementary program employs a bilingual/bicultural curriculum. English is introduced in the fourth grade. There is one post-secondary institution in the Marshall Islands -- the College of the Marshall Islands. The term public school has different (and in some cases contradictory) meanings due to regional differences. ... Secondary school may refer to Secondary school in the United Kingdom, is the general term for the schools for children between the ages of eleven and eighteen in most areas (a few areas have schools for 13-18 year olds instead, and these are called upper schools). ...

Demographics of the Marshall Islands, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 68,126 (July 2000 est.) FAO can mean: Food and Agriculture Organization Faro Airport (Portugal), IATA airport code For (The) Attention Of This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 17,204; female 16,521)
15-64 years: 48% (male 16,826; female 16,111)
65 years and over: 2% (male 693; female 771) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.88% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 45.17 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 40.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.5 years
male: 63.72 years
female: 67.36 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.61 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups: Micronesian

Religions: Christian (mostly Protestant)

Languages: English (universally spoken and is the official language), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 100%
female: 88% (1980 est.)

See also : Marshall Islands