Marshall Islands

Two belts of Micronesian islands, strung just north of the equator east of the Carolines, make up the Marshall archipelago: The eastern belt is Ratak, or “sunrise,” and the western is Ralik, “sunset.” You get the picture. And, yes, there are plenty of to-die-for beaches serving as excellent perches for sunrise or sunset viewing. With a couple dozen atolls comprising better than a thousand islands and islets, though, you can be sure the pleasures run deeper.

There’s some heady history here, for starters. The Micronesians settled the islands thousands of years ago. The Spanish discovered them in the first half of the 16th century; but by the late 1800s, they were German territory. They passed into Japanese hands during World War I, then into U.S. hands during World War II, during which the Marshall Islands saw much fighting. The U.S. infamously used the archipelago—specifically Enewetak and Bikini atolls—for nuclear testing during the Cold War; and Marshallese suffered health effects from the fallout. The country finally achieved independence in 1979.

Away from the archipelago’s hubs of Ebeye Island and Majuro Atoll, the outer Marshall Islands have much to offer—diving among coral reefs and shipwrecks, tooling around pandanus groves and coconut plantations, or paying homage to the namesake of the world’s most spectacular swimwear at Bikini Atoll. For divers, marine biologists, and, frankly, anyone concerned for the ecology of the much-abused World Ocean, the country’s also well-known for harboring the planet’s largest shark sanctuary—some 770,000 square miles dedicated to the preservation of these critical predators.

Lastly, whether it’s via an interpretive performance, a visit to the Alele Museum on Majuro, or simply a spontaneous chat with a local, getting a sense of indigenous Marshallese culture is sure to broaden your appreciation of this unique corner of the equatorial Pacific.