The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
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چکیده
387 M a r s h a l l I s l a n d s The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maria Beger1, Dean Jacobson2, Silvia Pinca3, Zoe Richards4, Don Hess2, Frankie Harriss2, Cathie Page4, Eric Peterson5 and Nicole Baker6 InTRoduCTIon and SETTIng Located in the central Pacific Ocean and spanning more than 5,025,000 km2 (1,940,000 mi2), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is comprised of 1,225 islands and islets including 29 atolls and five solitary, low coral islands. Only 0.01%, or 181.3 km2, of the country is dry land. The atolls and islands are arranged in two roughly parallel groupings—the eastern Ratak (or Sunrise) Chain containing 15 atolls and two islands, and the Ralik (Sunset) Chain to the west containing 14 atolls and three islands (Figure 12.1).
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