Nuclear weapons testingNuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance, yield, and effects of nuclear weapons. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by different conditions, and how personnel, structures, and equipment are affected when subjected to nuclear explosions. However, nuclear testing has often been used as an indicator of scientific and military strength.
MajuroMajuro (ˈmædʒəroʊ; Marshallese: Mājro majr&w) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of . As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Majuro consists of narrow land masses. It has a tropical trade wind climate, with an average temperature of .
Enewetak AtollEnewetak Atoll (ɛˈniːwəˌtɔːk,_ˌɛnɪˈwiːtɔːk; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; Ānewetak, yan&yweytak, or Āne-wātak, yan&y-waytak; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. With a land area total less than , it is no higher than and surrounds a deep central lagoon, in circumference.
Mushroom cloudA mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke, and usually condensed water vapor resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently energetic detonation or deflagration will produce the same effect. They can be caused by powerful conventional weapons, like thermobaric weapons such as the ATBIP and GBU-43/B MOAB. Some volcanic eruptions and impact events can produce natural mushroom clouds.
Nuclear arms raceThe nuclear arms race was an arms race competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War. During this same period, in addition to the American and Soviet nuclear stockpiles, other countries developed nuclear weapons, though none engaged in warhead production on nearly the same scale as the two superpowers. The first nuclear weapon was created by the United States of America during the Second World War and was developed to be used against the Axis powers.
Marshallese languageThe Marshallese language (Kajin M̧ajeļ or Kajin Majōl kajin mhahjelh), also known as Ebon, is a Micronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands. Spoken by the ethnic Marshallese people, the language is spoken by nearly the country's entire population of 59,000, making it the principal language of the country. There are also roughly 27,000 Marshallese citizens residing in the United States, nearly all of whom speak Marshallese, as well as in other countries including Nauru and Kiribati.
Castle BravoCastle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as part of Operation Castle. Detonated on March 1, 1954, the device was the most powerful nuclear device detonated by the United States and the first lithium deuteride-fueled thermonuclear weapon ever tested using the Teller-Ulam design. Castle Bravo's yield was , 2.5 times the predicted , due to unforeseen additional reactions involving lithium-7, which led to radioactive contamination in the surrounding area.
Marshall IslandsThe Marshall Islands (Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),NoteTag|Pronunciations:* English: Republic of the Marshall Islands ˈmɑrʃəl_ˈaɪləndzAolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ (hawelepan haw&r&kin mhahjelh) is an island country near Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The nation's population of 42,050 people (at the 2021 World Bank Census) is spread out over five islands and 29 coral atolls, comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets.
Kwajalein AtollKwajalein Atoll (ˈkwɑːdʒəlɪn; Marshallese: Kuwajleen kwiwajleyen) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilian personnel) often use the shortened name, Kwaj kwɑːdʒ. The total land area of the atoll amounts to just over . It lies in the Ralik Chain, southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The US Navy has hosted a naval base on Kwajalein Island since World War II.
Wake IslandWake Island (Ānen Kio; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of Tokyo and north of Majuro. The island is an unorganized unincorporated territory belonging to (but not a part of) the United States. Wake Island is also claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands based on oral legends dating back centuries. However, the United States does not recognize this claim.