Marshall Islands

Domestic industries, such as copra (dried coconut meat) and coastal fishing are conducted out on a small scale. About 50 percent of the government's total revenue is foreign aid, including fiscal assistance based on the Compact of Free Association with the US. There is a mixture of a money economy in urban areas and a subsistence economy on outlying islands, and there exists the problem of development disparity between the two large cities of Majuro and Ebeye on one hand and outlying islands on the other. Also, 70 percent of the country's population is concentrated in those two large cities, where problems including waste disposal, health and sanitation, education are emerging. JICA provides assistance with a focus on controlling the generation of waste and maintaining lifelines.