U. 8. ARMED FORCES MEDICAL JOURNAL HEALTH SURVEY IN PACIFIC population between 100 and 499, and 10 had a population of 500 or more. In this latter group were Saipan, Babelthuap, Yap, Koror, Majuro, and Kwajalein, all with over1,000 inhabitants. _ Area was no indication of population. In terms of size, some of c— the larger islands were very sparsely populated. Tinian and Rota, _~ for instance, while nearly as large as Saipan, had much smaller popu- >... lations. Onsomeof the tiny islands withan area of less than 1 square c mile, the population density was far greater thanonthe largerislands. c.; Populationdensity in terms of over-all area was misleading in numer~~~ ous instances for, on many of the largerislands, only a very small area was inhabitable. This was especially true on the volcanic islands where muchof the island was too rocky to be inhabited. The result was a concentration of population in a very small area with an extremely high population density, while the rest of the island had few or no inhabitantsat all? Table 1 shows bydistrict the numberof females visibly pregnant at the time of the health survey. Estimated annual birth rates based on these figures are alsoshown. For comparative purposes, in the United ®age, and approximately one fifth was 45 years of age or over. It f should be borne in mind that most ages were estimated by aninterpreter, as very few natives knew their ownage. The age distribution in the Saipan district presented the most youthful pattern of population found in the territory. The median ‘age was 17.3 as compared with 25.5 for the Palau district and 23.6 for the Marshall Islands district. Only part of the Marshall Islandsdis- trict is included in this study. Statistics were available for about two thirds of the inhabited islands of the district, accounting for over 70 percent of the population. Age distributions for the islands or atolls of the Marshall Islands and Saipandistricts were relatively consistent. In the Palau district, however, there was considerable variation. Merir, Sonsorol, and Tobi had the highest proportion of old people. There was a strong tendency on the part of the young people of these islands to leave for homes elsewhere while the older people remained.: Of Merir’s 11 inhabitants, only 3 were under 45 years of age. Approximately 70 percent of Sonsorol’s population of 111 was 45 years of age and over, and almost one third of the total had reached or passed the 65-year States in 1949 birth rates per 1,000 estimated female population, be- Total Saipan district Palau district Marshall Islands district Number Total Females 15 to 44 years of age Females pregnant on day of survey 22, 146 4,138 4,999 1, 036 10, 575 2,416 6,572 686 406 119 152 135 Annual birth rate per 1,000* . Total Females 15 to 44 years of age 244 130.8 3L7 153, 2 19.2 83.9 27.3 262.4 *Estimated on basis that all pregnancies wili terminate in live births. Rates computed by relating total pregnancies on day of survey to population and multiplying by 48. 1202 . VOLUME 10, NO. 10 ayfhhe Population examined ar Females 15 to 44 years of age visibly pregnant on dayof survey passed 45 years of age. At the other extreme were Koror, Eauripik, « and Rota, each of which has only 10 percent in the 45-year-and-over *% age group. = The median age of 22.8 years for Tinian Island appeared high as compared with Saipan and Rota in the same district. There were two groups of inhabitants on Tinian, the Yap-Chamorros and the patients at the leprosarium. The latter group was composed mainly of middle-aged and old people. There were no small children at the colony. Infants born at the leprosarium weresent to Saipan immed}ately and cared for at the hospital until they were adopted. The i be Table}. » mark, On Tobi, 60 percent of the 128 inhabitants had reached or median age for the leprosarium patient was 35.4 years, while that for the Yap-Chamorros was 16.6 years, the second lowest in these districts. An unusual situation existed on Pulo Anna. Fourteen of the sixteen inhabitants were members of one family: the chief; his mother; two brothers; two sisters; two young Indonesiangirls, the wives of his > two brothers; and six children. Marital status. The traditional marriage customs with their large gatherings, feasts, and exchanges of property were still practiced ptidtpee eH tween the ages of 15 to 44, were as follows: all races, 105.2; white, 102.6; and nonwhite, 126.4. Age distribution. The medianage forthe three districts combined was 23.0. Over one third of the population was under 15 years of throughout the territory. Missionary influence had made its imprint on marriage customs and many marriages were being performed with churchsanction, F OCTOBER 1959 1203