The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 coral atolls and five islands, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 97.87% of its territory is water, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. The country shares maritime boundaries with Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, Nauru to the south, and the Federated States of Micronesia to the west. The capital and largest city is Majuro, home to approximately half of the country's population.
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south—as well as with the wider community of Austronesian peoples.
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Micronesia, part of Oceania in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati, about 300 km (190 mi) to the east.
Transportation in Nauru includes pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, train, and airplane. An international port is currently under construction.
Majuro is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll has a land area of 9.7 square kilometers (3.7 sq mi) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometers (114 sq mi). As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses. It has a tropical trade wind climate, with an average temperature of 27 °C (81 °F).
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of the six continental confederations of international association football. The OFC has 13 members, 11 of which are full members and two which are associate members not affiliated with FIFA. It promotes the game in Oceania and allows the member nations to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
Marshall Islands International Airport, also known as Amata Kabua International Airport, is located in the western part of Rairok on the south side of Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The airport was built during World War II (1943) on Anenelibw and Lokojbar islets. It replaced Majuro Airfield, a coral-surfaced airstrip at Delap Island near the eastern end of Majuro Atoll that had been originally constructed by Japanese occupation forces in 1942.
The 7th Micronesian Games was held August 1–10 in Palau.
The Micronesian Games are a quadrennial international multi-sport event within the Micronesian region. The Games were first held in 1969 in Saipan. The 2010 Micronesian Games were initially due to be held in Majuro, until the hosts withdrew. The 2010 Games were hosted by Palau. The Federated States of Micronesia won the bidding to host the 2014 Micronesian Games in Pohnpei State, and later won again against CNMI for the 2018 Micronesian Games, held in Yap State.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Marshall Islands refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Marshall Islands. As of 2022, there were 6,832 members in 13 congregations, making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Micronesia, behind Kiribati. The Marshall Islands has the second most LDS Church members per capita in Micronesia, and the fourth most members per capita of any independent country in the world, behind Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati.
Soccer is a minor sport in the island country of Nauru. The country is not a member of FIFA.
Stadium diplomacy is a form of subsidy practiced by a nation through building and financing the construction of stadiums and sports facilities. China uses this form of soft power to secure diplomatic recognition in line with the One-China policy and to secure natural resources.
The Nauru national soccer team is the national team that represents the Pacific island nation of Nauru in soccer. It is under the auspices of the Nauru Soccer Federation which hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA and compete in official competitions of the organizations.
The 9th Micronesian Games were held from July 15 to July 27, 2018, in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. The venues included the Matson Sports Complex in Abay, and several locations around Colonia.
The Marshall Islands Soccer Federation is the governing body of soccer in the Marshall Islands. Marshall Islands is not a member of its regional body, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), or FIFA, but is working on becoming one. The federation is recognized by the Marshall Islands National Olympic Committee.
The following lists events that happened during 2022 in the Republic of Nauru.
The New Nauru Stadium is a multi-use stadium currently under construction on the Pacific island nation of Nauru.
The 10th Micronesian Games have been held in Majuro, Marshall Islands. After initially being scheduled for July 25 to August 5, 2022, the competition was originally delayed a year because of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including finishing construction of the New Marshall Islands Stadium. The games will now be held June 15-24, 2024.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in the Republic of Palau.
The Marshall Islands national football team represents the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands in senior men's international football and is controlled by the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation. It hopes to become a member of the OFC and FIFA in the "coming years" and compete in official competitions of the organizations. In an October 2023 interview with the Associated Press, Technical Director Lloyd Owers stated that the association was keeping all options open, including joining the Asian Football Confederation.
