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The Republic of the Marshall Islands consists of two groups of atolls and islands: Ralik in the west and Ratak to the east, within a rectangle extending 1150 km north-south and 1300 km east- west. about 3200 kilometers from Honolulu and Tokyo. Twenty-two of 29 atolls, and four of the five small raised coral islands are inhabited. The islands are typically several km long and rarely over 200 meters in width.

Environment The climate is maritime tropical with a small temperature difference between day and night and modest seasonal changes. Rainfall is about 2000 111111 with two-thirds falling between November and April, strongly affected by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, which can cause rainfall declines of up to 60% in the southern group and increases of 200% or more 111 the north during El Nino conditions. On average, three cyclones occur every two years, usually between November and April. Biodiversity is not high anywhere in the country but the northern atolls are very low in land- based biodiversity. The Government of the Cook Islands (GoCI) has signed various treaties and conventions related to environmental protection, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, with energy use implications.