<Li> 2005 estimate . </Li> <P> The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Marshallese: Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ), is an island country located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line . Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia . The country's population of 53,158 people (at the 2011 Census) is spread out over 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets . </P> <P> The islands share maritime boundaries with the Federated States of Micronesia to the west, Wake Island to the north, Kiribati to the southeast, and Nauru to the south . About 27,797 of the islanders (at the 2011 Census) live on Majuro, which contains the capital . Data from the United Nations indicates an estimated population in 2016 of 53,066 . In 2016, 73.3% of the population were defined as being "urban". The UN also indicates a population density of 295 per km (765 people per mi) and its projected 2020 population is 53,263 . </P> <P> Micronesian colonists reached the Marshall Islands using canoes circa 2nd millennium BC, with inter-island navigation made possible using traditional stick charts . They eventually settled here . Islands in the archipelago were first explored by Europeans in the 1520s, starting with Ferdinand Magellan of Portugal and Miguel de Saavedra of Spain . Spanish explorer Alonso de Salazar reported sighting an atoll in August 1526 . Other expeditions by Spanish and English ships followed . The islands derive their name from British explorer John Marshall, who visited in 1788 . The islands were historically known by the inhabitants as "jolet jen Anij" (Gifts from God). </P>

Where is marshall islands located on a world map