Marshall Islands 
 

15 Oct 1885 - 3 Oct 1914      21 Jan 1888 - 1 Apr 1906 Jaluit Company flag                 3 Oct 1914 - 23 Feb 1944                   23 Feb 1944 - 21 Oct 1986     18 Jul 1947 - 3 Oct 1962 Pacific Is. Trust Terr.         3 Oct 1962 - 1 May 1979 Pacific Is.Trust Terr.                          Adopted 1 May 1979 Map of the Marshall Islands Hear National Anthem  “Rammon Aelin kein am”  (Forever Marshall Islands)  Adopted 1991 Former National Anthem "Ij Yokwe Lok Aelon Eo Ao" (My Beloved Homeland, My Birthright) (1979-1991) Constitution (1 May 1979) Capital: Majuro (Eten 1889-1906,   Jabor, Jaluit 1906-1914) Currency: US Dollar (USD); and from 1979 Marshall Islands Dollar (MHD); 1914-1944 Japanese Yen (JPY) National Holiday: 1 May (1979) Constitution Day Population: 69,747 (2013) GDP: $486 million (2013) Exports: $50.14 million (2011) Imports: $118.7 million (2011) Ethnic groups: Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006) Total Police Force: 130 (2012) Defense is the Responsibility of the U.S. Merchant marine: 1,593 ships (2013) Religions: Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%,  Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%,  none 1.5% (1999)  International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APM, BTWC, CTBT, CWC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IRENA, ISA, ITU, KP, NPT, OPCW, PC, PIF, UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNFCC-PA, UNIDO, WHO Marshall Islands Index Chronology 21 Aug 1526               Discovered and claimed for Spain by Alonso                             de Salazar.  1 Oct 1529               Sighted by Spanish Capt. Antonio Saavedra,                             named Islas de Los Reyes.  30 Jun 1788               Re-discovered by British Capt. John Marshall,                             later islands are named the Marshall Islands. 1816                      First visit by Russian Capt. Otto von Kotzebue. 1874                      Spain reasserts its claim to the islands, but                             does begin settlement. 18 Nov 1878               Treaty of Friendship signed by the chiefs of the                             Ralik islands granting Germany exclusive use                             of Jaluit harbor. 15 Oct 1885               Marshall Islands (Marshall-Inseln) are annexed                             by Germany. 13 Sep 1886               German protectorate formally declared                             (Kaiserliches Kommissariat Jaluit).  21 Jan 1888 - 1 Apr 1906  Administered by Jaluit-Gesellschaft (Jaluit Company)                             (as Kaiserliches Kommissariat Jaluit ;from 1893,                             Landeshauptmannschaft Jaluit).  1 Apr 1906               Part of German New Guinea (see Papua New Guinea)                             (Bezirksamt Jaluit [from 1911 Station Jaluit],                             subordinated to district officer in Caroline Is.]) 29 Sep 1914               Japanese occupation in Eniwetok and Jaluit (on 30                             Sep 1914 and 3 Oct 1914 respectively). 28 Jun 1919               Germany formally renounces claims to the islands. 17 Dec 1920               League of Nations mandate (from 1 Apr 1922,                              South Seas Government; see under Palau). Jul 1921                  Japanese transfer civil administration from                              Chuuk to Koror, Palau. 1935                      Japan declares that the mandated islands are an                             "integral part of the Japanese Empire." 20 Feb 1944               U.S. occupation (see Micronesia)(from 2 Feb 1944                             on Kwajalein, on Eniwetok 20 Feb 1944, Majuro                              on 1 Mar 1944, Bikini on 29 Mar 1944). 18 Jul 1947               Marshall Islands District of the United Nations                             Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands                             (see Micronesia)(Marshall Islands District).  1 May 1979               Autonomy (Republic of the Marshall Islands). 21 Oct 1986               Compact of Free Association with the U.S. effective. 10 Jul 1987               Trust territory dissolved. 22 Dec 1990               Final independence (Security Council ratifies                             termination of trusteeship). Traditional states

Kommissar
1885 - 1886                Gustav von Oertzen                 (b. 1836 - d. 1911)
Kaiserlicher Kommissare (Imperial Commissioners)
1886 -  5 Oct 1887         Wilhelm Knappe                     (b. 1855 - d. 1910)
 5 Oct 1887 - 29 Mar 1889  Franz Leopold Sonnenschein         (b. 1857 - d. 1897)
                             (acting to 14 Apr 1888)
29 Mar 1889 - 14 Apr 1890  Eugen Brandeis (1st time)(acting)  (b. 1846 - d. 1919) 
14 Apr 1890 - Feb 1892     Friedrich Louis Max Biermann       (b. 1856 - d. 1929)
Feb 1892 - 1893            Eugen Brandeis (2nd time)(acting)  (s.a.) 
1893 - 1894                Ernst Schmidt-Dargitz              (b. 1859 - d. 1924)
Landeshauptleute
11 May 1894 - Mar 1898     Georg Irmer                        (b. 1853 - d. 1931)
24 Mar 1898 - 18 Jan 1906  Eugen Brandeis                     (s.a.) 
                             (acting to 22 Feb 1900)
18 Mar 1902 - 1903         von Bunsen (acting for Brandeis)
1903                       Seppert (acting for Brandeis)
18 Jan 1906 - May 1906     Ludwig Kaiser (acting)             (b. 1862 - d. 1906)
 1 Apr 1906 -  3 Oct 1914  the governors of German New Guinea
Bezirksamtleute (District magistrates)
1906 - 30 Apr 1907         Victor Berg                        (b. 1861 - d. 1907)
1907                       Joseph Siegwanz (acting)
1908 - Nov 1909            Wilhelm Stuckhardt                 (b. 18.. - d. 1909)
Nov 1909 - 1910            Erich Berghausen (interim)
1910 - 1911                Georg Merz
Stationsleiter (Station chief)
1911 -  3 Oct 1914         Georg Merz
                             (deported by Japanese on 31 May 1915)
Commanders of Japanese South Seas Squadrons
 3 Oct 1914 - 28 Dec 1914  Tanin Yamaya                       (b. 1866 - d. 1940) 
                           (in occupation of Central and eastern
                            Caroline [from 3 Oct 1914] and Marshall islands)
 7 Oct 1914 - 28 Dec 1914  Tatsuo Matsumura                   (b. 1868 - d. 1932)
                           (in occupation of western Caroline, the
                            Northern Marianas [from 14 Oct 1914]
                            and Palau [from 8 Oct 1914] islands)
Governors
28 Dec 1914 -  1 Apr 1922  the commanders of Interim Southern
                           Islands Defense Unit (see Palau)
 1 Apr 1922 -  2 Feb 1944  the Administrators of South
                           Seas Agency (see Palau)
Military Commanders of the 6th Base Force Kwajalein 
Jun 1941 -  1 Feb 1942     Sukeyoshi Yatsushiro               (b. 1890 - d. 1942)
 5 Feb 1942 - 29 Nov 1943  Koso Abe                           (b. 1892 - d. 1947)
Nov 1943 - Feb 1944        Akiyama Monzo                      (b. 1891 - d. 1944)
Military Governors
1944 - 18 Jul 1947         the Commanders U.S. Naval Forces
                           Mariana Islands (see Northern Marianas)
Marshall Islands District Administrators (Distad)
Sep 1947 - Sep 1948        Chester E. Herrick
Dec 1948 - Dec 1949        Edward F. Ferguson
Mar 1950 - Sep 1950        Roland W. Kenney
Dec 1950 - Jun 1951        Frank W. Avila
1951 - 1954                Donald W. Gilfillan                (b. 1904 - d. 1979)
1954 - 1960                Maynard Neas                       (b. 1906 – d. 1979)            
1960 - 1961                William E. Finale                  (b. 1924 – d. 2006)
27 May 1961 - 1965         Peter Tali Coleman                 (b. 1919 - d. 1997)  
15 Oct 1965 - 1969         Dwight Heine                       (b. 1919 - d. 1984) 
1969 - 1970                Robert D. Law                      (b. 1917 - d. 1982)
1970 - 1979                Oscar DeBrum                       (b. 1929 - d. 2002)
Presidents
 1 May 1979 - 21 Dec 1996  Amata Kabua                        (b. 1928 - d. 1996)  Non-party;
                             (acting to 17 Nov 1979)                               c.1991 AKA
21 Dec 1996 - 17 Jan 1997  Kunio D. Lemari (acting)           (b. 1942 - d. 2008)  AKA
17 Jan 1997 - 10 Jan 2000  Imata Jabro Kabua                  (b. 1943)            AKA
10 Jan 2000 -  7 Jan 2008  Kessai H. Note                     (b. 1950)            UDP
 7 Jan 2008 - 21 Oct 2009  Litokwa Tomeing                    (b. 1939)            UPP
21 Oct 2009 -  2 Nov 2009  Ruben R. Zackhras (acting)         (b. 1947)            UDP
 2 Nov 2009 - 10 Jan 2012  Jurelang Zedkaia                   (b. 1950 - d. 2015) AKA;2011 KEA
10 Jan 2012 - 11 Jan 2016  Christopher J. Loeak               (b. 1952)            AKA
11 Jan 2016 - 28 Jan 2016  Casten Nemra                       (b. 1971)            KEA
28 Jan 2016 -              Hilda C. Heine (f)                 (b. 1951)            Non-party

Territorial Dispute: Claims U.S. territory of Wake Island.

Party abbreviations (political parties are mostly unofficial groupings): AKA = Ailon Kein Ad (Our Islands, also called the 'presidential caucus' [or 'Kabua party'], supported by traditional chiefs, from c.1991, formally est.2002); UDP = United Democratic Party (reformist, est.c.1997); KEA = Kien Eo Am (Our Government, split from AKA, est.2011); UPP = United People's Party