deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.

The territory consists of 29 coral atolls and five main islands as well as 1,220 other very small ones, divided across two island chains: Ratak in the east and Ralik in the west. 98.13% of its territory is water, the largest proportion of water to land of any sovereign state. 

The Empire of Japan occupied the islands in the autumn of 1914 at the beginning of World War I. After the war, the Marshalls and other former German Pacific colonies north of the equator became the Japanese South Seas Mandate. The United States occupied the islands during World War II and administered them as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands after the war.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll.

The flag was designed in 1979 by Elaim Kabua, the First Lady of the Republic. In common with other island nations in the region, this flag features the symbolic representation of the islands’ place within the ocean. The rising diagonal band represents the equator, the star above representing this Northern Hemisphere archipelago. The white and orange portions of the band represent, respectively, the Ratak Chain (“sunrise”) and the Ralik Chain (“sunset”), as well as symbolizing peace and courage. The star’s 24 points represent the number of electoral districts, while the four elongated points represent the principal cultural centers of Majuro, Jaluit, Wotje and Ebeye. The flag is also the national flag with the most points on a star, at 24.

I find it fascinating that a non-Vexillologist designed a very good, very symbolic flag. She could teach about 30 US states how to create a good flag representing what is important to that specific state.

And now we come to the important issue: A brand new football (soccer) team made history by playing its first ever international match. The Marshall Islands faced off against the US Virgin Islands at a tournament in Springdale Arkansas. Despite losing 4 – 0, to a recognized FIFA team, they were ecstatic taking a first step towards FIFA membership.

Three years ago, Lloyd Owens from Bandbury, was tasked with building the Marshall Islands first international team. The Pacific Island nation is home to about 40,000 people and had previously been the self-proclaimed “last country on Earth without a football team”.

The team’s group shot after the match has an inscription “Whatever the score, so proud of what was accomplished. Tonight, we made history”.