Together with the Mariana archipelagc, the Carolines, thes@ form the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, administered by the United|States for the United Nations since World War II. This area is generally knownJas Micronesia-- the name suggesting the tiny size of the islands. Of the 21240 islands in Micronesia, only 125 are inhabited. There are two different types of islands in the Pacific, the coral. dhe volcanic and The Marshall Islands are all coral with a very low a¥erage elevation from the water. In most cases the average altitude is about 5 atolls are like necklaces in the vast ocean with a lagoon in the cases, the average width of the island is approximately one city Peoples of the nutrition and health. world are always concerned about food feet. All these middle. In many block. Jproduction and Different types of islands present differ@nt problems and opportunities for agriculture and food production in general The Marshal] Isiands, being all coral atolls, present special kinds of proplems for local agriculture and food production. The soil is composed mostly of Foral sand which is highly alkaline and consequently, unless a great amount incorporated in the soil or unless fertile soil is imported from types of plants that can be grown are very limited. elsewhere, the The basic fo@d supplies that are locally grown are coconuts, breadfruit, pandanas fruit, taro] (in the northern islands). humus can be and arrow root Therefore, a great majority of thef food supply is imported in the form of canned goods and other staples such a§— rice and some flour. B. Demography and Population Figures are very difficult to obtain in the Marshall Islahds. Statistics are something new and alien to the Marshallese ways of dealing wqth each other in their societal processes. However, there are several factd@rs that can be discussed with certainty: 1. The official population census of 1973, as quote in the Health Contract between the S.D.A. Church and the government of the Marshall Islands, was 24,135. qount in 1980 is However, all government officials believe the around 30,000. A census is being conducted in the islands during 1980. The results are not known yet and probably will not be for some timp. 2. The population is a young population. the population is 20 years of age or younger. It is estimated that half of