British sea captain John Marshall explored the islands in 1788, although they had been known to sailors for about 200 years previously. They comprise over 1,000 small islands with a population of around 50,000 people. They have been under Spanish, German, Japanese and American control until they became independent in 1986. The circulating coinage is American dollars, but the issuing of commemorative coins appears to be one of the major industries. Our featured $50 coin shows the space shuttle Ch