For the region of Micronesia, please see Micronesia (disambiguation)

The Federated States of Micronesia is a country in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It

is composed of four major island groups totalling 607 islands that lie just north of the
equator about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia, to the north
of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and to the south of the Marshall
Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.
Understand[micronesia]
Climate[micronesia]
Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on
southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage; Natural hazards :
typhoons (June to December).
Terrain[micronesia]
Islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic
outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk. Highest point is Dolohmwar (Totolom)
791m
History[micronesia]
National holiday
Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)
Constitution
10 May 1979
In 1979, the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US
administration, adopted a constitution. On 3 November, 1986, independence was
attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US; economic provisions of
the Compact are being renegotiated. Previously, the area had been colonized by the
Japanese, the Germans, and the Spanish
Independence
3 November, 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence
on US aid.

Regions[micronesia]
There are 4 states:

Chuuk (Truk)
 Pohnpei (Ponape)

Kosrae (Kosaie)

Yap
Cities[micronesia]
Palikir - Capital
Kolonia - (Pohnpei)
Other destinations[micronesia]
Get in[micronesia]
All visitors arriving in the Federated States of Micronesia must have a valid passport
or other travel document issued by the government of the country of citizenship or
nationality. The document must be valid for at least 120 days beyond the date of
entry. Exception to this rule are the citizens and nationals of the Marshall
Islands, Palau and the United States, who may also prove citizenship or nationality by
birth certificate or entry permit.
If you are going to be in the FSM for less than 30 days you do not need an entry
permit. Anyone who will be staying longer than that needs an entry permit.
Citizens of the Marshall Islands, Palau and the United States may obtain an entry
permit valid for up to 1 year. For everyone else, entry permits lasts 30 days, but can
be extended to 60 days. You can get your entry permit on arrival, but if you're
travelling for a purpose other than tourism, you need to apply for it in advance. If you
need to apply for an entry permit on arrival, you must present an FSM Arrival and
Departure Record. This is furnished by a carrier before entering the FSM. You will
need a completed application form in addition to this.
By plane[micronesia]
The major airline that travels to FSM is United Airlines, which operates a thrice-
weekly "island hopper" flight (UA155 eastbound, UA154 westbound)
traveling Honolulu—Majuro—Kwajalein—Kosrae—Pohnpei—Chuuk—Guam and
vice versa. The flight is fourteen and a half hours, leaving in the early morning and
terminating in the evening, with a stop of about one hour on each island. There are
also nonstop flights from various islands to both Honolulu and Guam.
Honolulu is the most direct gateway into the islands from North America. Guam is the
most direct gateway from most points in Asia, although it is also possible to fly into
the islands from Manila via Palau.
Air Nuigini now flies from Port Moresby to Chuuk then onto Pohnpei, with
connections/depatures from Brisbane and Sydney amongst other places, for a very
reasonable price ~600 AUD return.
Our Airline (Nauru Airlines) also flies weekly from Majuro, so it is possible to do a
loop from Brisbane-Nauru-Kiribati-Majuro-Pohnpei-Port Moresby to Brisbane for
approx ~1.5k AUD using both Air Nuigini and Our Airline. If time is a problem, since
all the flights by Our Airline are weekly in one direction on Wednesday and the other
direction on Friday, then it is possible to double hop and back track, for example go
from Nauru-Majuro via Kiribati, then back to Kiribati, then Kiribati-Pohnpei via
Majuro, should you wish to visit all these places.
By boat[micronesia]
The major international ports are Chuuk, Pohnpei and Yap. There are inter-island
trading ships based in these major ports which visits the outlying islands.
Get around[micronesia]
By air[micronesia]
The "Island Hopper," operated by United Airlines, flies between Guam, Chuuk,
Pohnpei, and Kosrae. United also flies from Guam to Yap and Palau. However, it is
not possible to fly directly to Yap from other islands in the FSM (you must fly
through Guam first).
By bus[micronesia]
Even though there are no bus scheduled service on the island, some buses are
available to hire or charter. Also, on Yap there is a school bus that runs twice daily
from Colonia to the villages.
Taxi[micronesia]
Taxi service is available throughout the islands and is inexpensive.
Car hire[micronesia]
There are self-driven cars available in the major towns of the islands. However, It is
required to have a National Driver's License or International Driving Permit.
Talk[micronesia]
English is the official and common language. Also spoken are Chuukese, Kosrean,
Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, and Kapingamarangi.
Other languages spoken in the country include Pingelapese, Ngatikese, Satawalese,
Puluwatese, Mortlockese, and Mokilese. There are also about 3,000 speakers of
Kapingamarangi and Ulithian, and under 1,000 speakers of Nukuoro.
See[micronesia][add listing]
See the remoteness of the islands, especially Kosrae, the jungles of Ponhpei, the
diving in Chuuk, and the traditional culture and stone money of Yap. There are many
other things to see on these islands as well.
Do[micronesia][add listing]
Some popular activities are:
Diving
Viewing traditional culture
Swimming
Buy[micronesia][add listing]
The U.S. Dollar is the official currency of the FSM, no other currency will be
accepted. If you are from a country or territory with the US dollar as a official
currency, you will not need to worry about understanding prices and currency
transferring. Also if you are from Bermuda, East Timor, Panama, or Bahamas, the
official currency(ies) of the mentioned countries and territories have fixed exchange
rates to the US Dollar. Meaning what price is said in the F.S.M. will be understood
with your country's/territory's official currency. Example; $150 US Dollars will equal
$150 Bermudian dollars, but you will still have to exchange currencies.
Eat[micronesia][add listing]
Drink[micronesia][add listing]
You can't legally buy or drink alcohol until you're 21.
Sleep[micronesia][add listing]
Kosrae Nautilus Resort, P.O. Box 135, Kosrae, Micronesia (15 minute drive from the
airport on the eastern side of the island, adjacent to the ocean), ☎ + 691 370
3567, [1]. checkin: When the flight arrives; checkout: 10.30AM. 18-room modern
hotel with air-conditioned rooms and restaurant, or outside dining by the swimming
pool. Free airport transfers, full service scuba dive operation including NAUI scuba
instruction. Tour and rental cars arranged. Located adjacent to the Lelu causeway
facing east to the Pacific Ocean, with 3 acres of manicured gardens. US$115 to
$130. micronesia
Learn[micronesia]
Work[micronesia]
US citizens and citizens of the territory of American Samoa may live and work freely
in this country.
Stay safe[micronesia]
The Federated States of Micronesia is generally one of the safest countries to visit.
However, there have been some reports of crime in Weno, the capital of Chuuk.
Crime is certainly a problem in Weno.
Stay healthy[micronesia]
Respect[micronesia]
Some islands are very traditional, especially Yap state. Be sure to respect their
culture.
Contact[micronesia]
Mail[micronesia]
As a Compact Free Association nation, the Federated States of Micronesia's official
postal service is the United States Postal Service. For travel reasons, the USPS treats
the FSM as a territory. So the postal requirements in the FSM. are the same in the
other CFA nations and the US.
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Micronesia
From Micronesiapedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Macaronesia.

This article is about the greater region of Micronesia. For the independent state,
see Federated States of Micronesia.
Romanum Island, Chuuk, Micronesia

Map of Micronesia (shown in dark magenta)

Micronesia (from Greek: μικρός mikrós "small" and Greek: νῆσος nêsos "island") is
a subregion of Oceania, composed of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific
Ocean. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, Polynesia to the
east and Melanesia to the south.
The region has a tropical marine climate, and is part of the Oceania ecozone. There
are four main archipelagos along with numerous outlying islands.
Micronesia is divided politically among several sovereign countries. One of these is
the Federated States of Micronesia, which is often called "Micronesia" for short and is
not to be confused with the overall region. The Micronesia region encompasses five
sovereign, independent nations—the Federated States of
Micronesia, Palau, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Nauru—as well as three U.S.
territories in the northern part: Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Wake Island.
Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing
theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers.[1]The earliest known contact
with Europeans occurred in 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan reached the Marianas.
The coinage of the term "Micronesia" is usually attributed to Jules Dumont d'Urville's
usage in 1832, however Domeny de Rienzi had used the term a year previously.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1Geography
1.1Caroline Islands
1.2Gilbert Islands
1.3Mariana Islands
1.4Marshall Islands
1.5Nauru
1.6Wake Island
1.7Geology
1.8Fauna
1.9Climate
2History
2.1Prehistory
2.2Early European contact
2.3Colonisation and conversion
2.4German–Spanish Treaty of 1899
2.520th century
2.621st century
3Politics
3.1States and dependencies
4Economy
5Demographics
5.1Indigenous groups
5.2Immigrant groups
5.3Languages
6Culture
6.1Animals and food
6.2Architecture
6.3Art
6.4Cuisine
6.5Education
6.6Law
6.7Media
6.8Music and dance
6.9Sports
7Religion and mythology
8See also
9References
9.1Notes
9.2Bibliography
10Further reading
11External links
Geography[micronesia]
Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas in the Pacific Ocean, along
with Polynesia and Melanesia
Micronesia is a region that includes approximately 2100 islands, with a total land area
of 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi), the largest of which is Guam, which covers
582 km2 (225 sq mi). The total ocean area within the perimeter of the islands is
7,400,000 km2 (2,900,000 sq mi).[3]
There are four main island groups in Micronesia:
the Caroline Islands (Federated States of Micronesia and Palau)
the Gilbert Islands (Republic of Kiribati)
the Mariana Islands (Northern Mariana Islands and Guam)
the Marshall Islands
Plus the island country of Nauru.
Caroline Islands[micronesia]
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago consisting of about 500
small coral islands, north of New Guinea and east of the Philippines. The Carolines
consist of two states: the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of approximately
600 islands on the eastern side of the chain with Kosrae being the most eastern,
and Palau consisting of 250 islands on the western side.
Gilbert Islands[micronesia]
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands, arranged in an
approximate north-to-south line. In a geographical sense, the equator serves as the
dividing line between the northern Gilbert Islands and the southern Gilbert Islands.
The Republic of Kiribati contains all of the Gilberts, as well as the island of Tarawa,
the site of the country's capital.
Mariana Islands[micronesia]
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of fifteen
volcanic mountains. The island chain arises as a result of the western edge of
the Pacific Platemoving westward and plunging downward below the Mariana plate, a
region which is the most volcanically active convergent plate boundary on Earth. The
Marianas were politically divided in 1898, when the United States acquired title
to Guam under the Treaty of Paris, 1898, which ended the Spanish–American War.
Spain then sold the remaining northerly islands to Germany in 1899. Germany lost all
of her colonies at the end of World War I and the Northern Mariana Islands became
a League of Nations Mandate, with Japan as the mandatory. After World War II, the
islands were transferred into the United Nations Trust Territory System, with
the United States as Trustee. In 1976, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United
States entered into a covenant of political union under which commonwealth status
was granted the Northern Mariana Islands, and its residents received United States
citizenship.
Marshall Islands[micronesia]
Beach scenery at Laura, Majuro, Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands are located north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated
States of Micronesia, and south of the U.S. territory of Wake Island. The islands
consist of 29 low-lying atolls and 5 isolated islands,[4] comprising 1,156 individual
islands and islets. The atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak Chain and
the Ralik Chain (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains). All the islands in the chain
are part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a presidential republic in free
association with the United States. Having few natural resources, the islands' wealth is
based on a service economy, as well as some fishing and agriculture. Of the 29 atolls,
24 of them are inhabited.
Bikini Atoll is an atoll in the Marshall Islands. There are 23 islands in the Bikini
Atoll. The islands of Bokonijien, Aerokojlol, and Nam were vaporized during nuclear
tests that occurred there.[5] The islands are composed of low coral limestone and
sand.[6] The average elevation is only about 2.1 metres (7 ft) above low tide level.

Image of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on March 1, 1954, at Bikini Atoll

An illustration of the Cross Spikes Club[7] of the US Navy on Bikini Atoll, one of
several Marshall Islands used for atomic bomb tests.
Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands.
Nauru[micronesia]
Nauru is an oval-shaped island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, 42 km
(26 mi) south of the Equator, listed as the world's smallest republic, covering just
21 km2(8 sq mi).[8] With 11,347 residents, it is the second least-populated country,
after Vatican City. The island is surrounded by a coral reef, which is exposed at low
tide and dotted with pinnacles.[9] The presence of the reef has prevented the
establishment of a seaport, although channels in the reef allow small boats access to
the island.[10] A fertile coastal strip 150 to 300 m (490 to 980 ft) wide lies inland
from the beach.[9]

Aerial view of Nauru

Nauruan districts of Denigomoduand Nibok

Wake Island[micronesia]
Wake Island is a coral atoll with a coastline of 19 km (12 mi) just north of
the Marshall Islands. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United
States. Access to the island is restricted, and all activities on the island are managed
by the United States Air Force.

Wake Island as depicted by the United States Exploring Expmicronesiaion, drawn

by Alfred Thomas Agate
Aerial view Wake Island, looking westward
Geology[micronesia]
This section
needs
expansion. You
can help
by adding to
it. (December
2013)
The majority of the islands in the area are part of a coral atoll. Coral atolls begin
as coral reefs that grow on the slopes of a central volcano. When the volcano sinks
back down into the sea, the coral continues to grow, keeping the reef at or above
water level. One exception is Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, which
still has the central volcano and coral reefs around it.
Fauna[micronesia]
Main articles: List of mammals of Micronesia and List of birds of Micronesia

Spinner Dolphins
This section
needs
expansion. You
can help
by adding to
it. (December
2013)
Climate[micronesia]
The region has a tropical marine climate moderated by seasonal northeast trade winds.
There is little seasonal temperature variation. The dry season runs from December or
January to June, and the rainy season from July to November or December. Because
of the location of some islands, the rainy season can sometimes include typhoons.
History[micronesia]
See also: History of the Federated States of Micronesia
Prehistory[micronesia]
Mount Marpi in Saipan.
Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing
theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers.[1] There are numerous
difficulties with conducting archaeological excavations in the islands, due to their
size, settlement patterns and storm damage. As a result, much evidence is based on
linguistic analysis.[11] The earliest archaeological traces of civilization have been
found on the island of Saipan, dated to 1500 BCE or slightly before.[12]
Micronesian colonists gradually settled the Marshall Islands during the 2nd
millennium BC, with inter-island navigation made possible using traditional stick
charts.[13]
Construction of Nan Madol, a megalithic complex made from basalt lava logs in
Pohnpei began as early as 1200 CE.

Central Nan Madol (map)

Nan Madol
The prehistory of many Micronesian islands such as Yap is not known very well.[14]
Early European contact[micronesia]
The earliest known contact with Europeans occurred in 1521, when Ferdinand
Magellan reached the Marianas [15] This contact is recorded in Antonio Pigafetta's
chronicle of Magellan's voyage, in which he recounts that the Chamorro people had
no apparent knowledge of people outside of their island group.[16] A Portuguese
account of the same voyage suggests that the Chamorro people who greeted the
travellers did so "without any shyness as if they were good acquaintances", raising the
possibility that earlier unrecorded contact had occurred.[17]
Further contact was made during the sixteenth century, although often initial
encounters were very brief. Documents relating to the 1525 voyage of Diogo da
Rocha suggest that he made the first European contact with inhabitants of the
Caroline Islands, possibly staying on the Ulithi atoll for four months and
encountering Yap. Marshall Islanders were encountered by Alvaro de Saavedra in
1529.[18] More certain recorded contact with the Yap islands occurred in 1625.[19]
Colonisation and conversion[micronesia]
In the early 17th century Spain colonized Guam, the Northern Marianas, and
the Caroline Islands (what would later become the Federated States of Micronesia and
the Republic of Palau), creating the Spanish East Indies, which was governed from
the Spanish Philippines.
In 1819, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions – a Protestant
group – brought their Puritan ways to Polynesia. Soon after, the Hawaiian Missionary
Society was founded, and sent missionaries into Micronesia. Conversion was not met
with as much opposition, as the local religions were less developed (at least according
to Western ethnographic accounts). In contrast, it took until the end of the
19th/beginning of the 20th centuries for missionaries to fully covert the inhabitants of
Melanesia; however, before a cultural contrast can even be made, one cannot neglect
to take into account the fact that Melanesia has always had deadly strains of
more malaria present in various degrees and distributions throughout its history
{see: De Rays Expmicronesiaion} and up to the present; in contrast, Micronesia does
not, and never seems to have had any malarial mosquitos nor pathogens on any of its
islands in the past.[20]
German–Spanish Treaty of 1899[micronesia]

German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899
Main article: German–Spanish Treaty (1899)
In the Spanish–American War, Spain lost many of its remaining colonies. In the
Pacific, the United States took possession of the Spanish Philippines and Guam. On
January 17, 1899, the United States also took possession of unclaimed and
uninhabited Wake Island. This left Spain with the remainder of the Spanish East
Indies, about 6,000 tiny islands that were sparsely populated and not very productive.
These islands were ungovernable after the loss of the administrative center of Manila,
and undefendable after the loss of two Spanish fleets in the war. The Spanish
government therefore decided to sell the remaining islands to a new colonial power:
the German Empire.
The treaty, which was signed by Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Silvela on
February 12, 1899, transferred the Caroline Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau and
other possessions to Germany. Under German control, the islands became a
protectorate and were administered from German New Guinea. Nauru had already
been annexed and claimed as a colony by Germany in 1888.
20th century[micronesia]
Map from 1961 of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formerly
Japan's South Pacific Mandate.
In the early 20th century, the islands of Micronesia were divided between three
foreign powers:
the United States, which took control of Guam following the Spanish–American War
of 1898, and claimed Wake Island;
Germany, which took Nauru and bought the Marshall, Caroline, and Northern
Mariana Islands from Spain; and
the British Empire, which took the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati).
During World War I, Germany's Pacific island territories were seized and
became League of Nations mandates in 1923. Nauru became an Australian mandate,
while Germany's other territories in Micronesia were given as a mandate to Japan and
were named the South Pacific Mandate. During World War II, Nauru was occupied
by Japanese troops, and was bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific.
Following Japan's defeat in World War II its mandate became a United Nations
Trusteeship administered by the United States as the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands. Nauru became independent in 1968.
21st century[micronesia]
Today, most of Micronesia are independent states, except for Guam and Wake Island,
which are U.S. territories, and for the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
Politics[micronesia]
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community is a regional intergovernmental organisation
whose membership includes both nations and territories in the Pacific Ocean and their
metropolitan powers.
States and dependencies[micronesia]
Pop
Po
ulat A
pul
ion r Ur Lif Li
ati
(Jul e ba e te
on
Co y a n ex ra Official Main
de
untr 201 ( po pe cy languag religio Ethnic groups
nsi
y 6 k pul cta R e(s) n(s)
ty
esti m ati nc at
(/k
mat 2 on y e
m2
e)[2 )
)
1]
Roman Chuukese 48.8%, Po
Fed 104, 70 152. 22 71.2 89
English Catholi hnpeian 24.2%, Kosr
erate 937 2 641 % 3 %
c 50%, aean 6.2%, Yapese5.
 Pop
Po
ulat A
pul
ion r Ur Lif Li
ati
(Jul e ba e te
on
Co y a n ex ra Official Main
de
untr 201 ( po pe cy languag religio Ethnic groups
nsi
y 6 k pul cta R e(s) n(s)
ty
esti m ati nc at
(/k
mat 2 on y e
m2
e)[2 )
)
1]
d Protest 2%, Yap outer
State ant islands 4.5%, Asian
s of 47%, 1.8%, Polynesian
Micr others 1.5%, other 7.8%
onesi 3%
a
Roman
Catholi Chamorro 37.1%, Fi
Gua English
c 85%, lipino26.3%, other
m(U 162, 1, 38.3%, C
122. 93 78.1 99 Buddhi Pacific islander
nited 896 47 hamorro
371 % 8 % sm 3.6, 11.3%, white 6.9%,
State 8 22.2%[2
other other 8.6%, mixed
s) 2]
religion 9.8%
11.4%
Roman
English, Catholi
Kiri 114, 81 122. 44 64.0 92 Gilbertes c 55%,
Micronesian 98.8%
bati 395 1 666 % 3 % e (de Protest
facto) ant
36%
Protest
ant
Mar Marshall
54.8%, Marshallese 92.1%,
shall 53,0 18 363. 71 71.4 93. ese98.2
other mixed Marshallese
Islan 66 1 862 % 8 7% %,
Christia 5.9%, other 2%
ds English
n
40.6%
Nauru
Congre
gationa
l Nauruan 58%, other
99
Nau 11,3 21
441. 100 64.9
%[
Nauruanf Church Pacific Islander
ru 47 286 % 9 [›] 35.4%, 26%, Chinese 8%,
23]
Roman European 8%
Catholi
c
33.2%,
 Pop
Po
ulat A
pul
ion r Ur Lif Li
ati
(Jul e ba e te
on
Co y a n ex ra Official Main
de
untr 201 ( po pe cy languag religio Ethnic groups
nsi
y 6 k pul cta R e(s) n(s)
ty
esti m ati nc at
(/k
mat 2 on y e
m2
e)[2 )
)
1]
Nauru
Indepe
ndent
Church
(Protest
ant)[24
] 10.4%
, Baha'i
faith
10%,
Buddhi
sm 9%

Nort
hern Roman
Mari English,
Catholi Asian 56.3%, Pacific
ana Chamorr
55,0 46 104. 91 97 c, islander 36.3%,
Islan 23 76.9 o and
4 131 % % Buddhi White 1.8%, other
ds(U Carolinia
sm 0.8%, mixed 4.8%
nited n[25]
10.6%
State
s)
Palauan 69.9%,
Roman
Filipino 15.3%,
Catholi
Chinese 4.9%, other
Paluan64 c
Pala 21,5 45 45.4 81 71.5 92
.7%d[›], 41.6%,
Asian 2.4%, white
u 03 9 88 % 1 % 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4
English Protest
%, other
ant
Micronesian 1.1%,
23.3%
other 3.2%
4, 94.
523, 193. 71.7 71.1
Total 11 93
167 206 1% 9
6 %
Economy[micronesia]
Nationally, the primary income is the sale of fishing rights to foreign nations that
harvest tuna using huge purse seiners. A few Japanese long liners still ply the waters.
The crews aboard fishing fleets contribute little to the local economy since their ships
typically set sail loaded with stores and provisions that are cheaper than local goods.
Additional money comes in from government grants, mostly from the United States,
and the $150 million the US paid into a trust fund for reparations of residents of
Bikini Atoll that had to move after nuclear testing. Few mineral deposits worth
exploiting exist, except for some high-grade phosphate, especially on Nauru.
Most residents of Micronesia can freely move to, and work within, the United States.
Relatives working in the US that send money home to relatives represent the primary
source of individual income. Additional individual income comes mainly from
government jobs, and work within shops and restaurants.
The tourist industry consists mainly of scuba divers that come to see the coral reefs,
do wall dives, and visit sunken ships from WWII. Major stops for SCUBA divers in
approximate order are Palau, Chuuk, Yap, and Phonpei. Some private yacht owners
visit the area for months or years at a time. However, they tend to stay mainly at ports
of entry and are too few in number to be counted as a major source of income.
Copra production used to be a more significant source of income, however, world
prices have dropped in part to large palm plantations that are now planted in places
like Borneo.
Demographics[micronesia]
Further information: Demographics of Oceania
The people today form many ethnicities, but are all descended from and belong to the
Micronesian culture. The Micronesian culture was one of the last native cultures of
the region to develop. It developed from a mixture of Melanesians and Filipinos.
Because of this mixture of descent, many of the ethnicities of Micronesia feel closer
to some groups in Melanesia, or the Philippines. A good example of this are
the Yapese people who are related to Austronesian tribes in the
Northern Philippines.[26] A 2011 survey found that 93.1% of Micronesian
are Christians.[27]
There are also substantial Asian communities found across the region, most notably in
the Northern Mariana Islands where they form the majority and smaller communities
of Europeans who have migrated from the United States or are descendants of settlers
during European colonial rule in Micronesia.
Though they are all geographically part of the same region, they all have very
different colonial histories. The US-administered areas of Micronesia have a unique
experience that sets them apart from the rest of the Pacific. Micronesia has great
economic dependency on its former or current motherlands, something only
comparable to the French Pacific. Sometimes, the term American Micronesia is used
to acknowledge the difference in cultural heritage.[28]
Indigenous groups[micronesia]
Carolinian people
It is thought that ancestors of the Carolinian people may have originally immigrated
from the Asian mainland and Indonesia to Micronesia around 2,000 years ago. Their
primary language is Carolinian, called Refaluwasch by native speakers, which has a
total of about 5,700 speakers. The Carolinians have a matriarchal society in which
respect is a very important factor in their daily lives, especially toward the matriarchs.
Most Carolinians are of the Roman Catholic faith.
The immigration of Carolinians to Saipan began in the early 19th century, after
the Spanish reduced the local population of Chamorro natives to just 3,700. They
began to immigratemostly sailing from small canoes from other islands, which
a typhoon previously devastated. The Carolinians have a much darker complexion
than the native Chamorros.
Chamorro people

Chamorro people in 1915

The Chamorro people are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which are
politically divided between the United States territory of Guamand the United
States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. The Chamorro
are commonly believed to have come from Southeast Asia at around 2000 BC. They
are most closely related to other Austronesian natives to the west in
the Philippines and Taiwan, as well as the Carolines to the south.
The Chamorro language is included in the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of
the Austronesian family. Because Guam was colonized by Spain for over 300 years,
many words derive from the Spanish language. The traditional Chamorro number
system was replaced by Spanish numbers.[29]
Chuukese people
The Chuukese people are an ethnic group in Oceania. They constitute 48% of the
population of the Federated States of Micronesia. Their language is Chuukese. The
home atoll of Chuuk is also known by the former name Truk.
Kaping people
The roughly 3000 residents of the Federated States of Micronesia that reside
in Kapingamarangi, nicknamed 'Kapings', are both one of the most remote and most
difficult people to visit in Micronesia and the entire world. Their home atoll is almost
a 1,600 km (1,000 mi) round trip to the nearest point of immigration check-in and
check-out. There are no regular flights. The only way to legally visit is to first check-
in, travel on a high-speed sailboat to the atoll, and then backtrack almost 800 km
(500 mi). Owing to this difficulty, only a handful of the few sailors that travel across
the Pacific will attempt to visit. The local language is the Kapingamarangi language.
The children typically attend high-school on Pohnpei where they stay with relatives in
an enclave that is almost exclusively made up of Kapings.
Nauruan people
The Nauruan people are an ethnicity, and they inhabit the Pacific island of Nauru.
They are most likely a blend of other Pacific peoples.[30]
The origin of the Nauruan people has not yet been finally determined. It can possibly
be explained by the last Malayo-Pacific human migration (c. 1200). It was probably
seafaring or shipwrecked Polynesians or Melanesians, which established themselves
there because there was not already an indigenous people present, whereas the
Micronesians were already crossed with the Melanesians in this area.
Immigrant groups[micronesia]
Asian people
See also: Japanese settlement in Palau, Japanese settlement in the Federated States of
Micronesia, Koreans in Micronesia, Chinese in Palau, and Filipinos in Palau
There are large Asian communities found across certain Micronesian countries that
are either immigrants, foreign workers or descendants of either one, most migrated to
the islands during the 1800s and 1900s.[31] According to the 2010 census results
Guam was 26.3% Filipino, 2.2% Korean, 1.6% Chinese and 2% other Asian.[32] The
2010 census showed the Northern Mariana Islands was 50% Asian of which 35.3%
were Filipino, 6.8% Chinese, 4.2% Korean and 3.7% other Asian
(mainly Japanese, Bangladeshi and Thai).[33] The 2010 census for the Federated
States of Micronesia showed 1.4% were Asian while statistics for Nauru showed 8%
of Nauruans were Chinese.[34][35] The 2005 census results for Palau showed 16.3%
were Filipino, 1.6% Chinese, 1.6% Vietnamese and 3.4% other Asian (mostly
Bangladeshi, Japanese and Korean).[36]
Japanese rule in Micronesia also led to Japanese people settling the islands and
marrying native spouses. Kessai Note, the former president of the Marshall
Islands has partial Japanese ancestry by way of his paternal grandfather.
European people
The 2010 census results of Guam showed 7.1% were white while the 2005 census for
Palau showed 8% were European. Smaller numbers at 1.9% in Palau and 1.8% in the
Northern Mariana Islands were recorded as "white". In conjunction to the European
communities there are large amounts of mixed Micronesians, some of which have
European ancestry.
Languages[micronesia]
The largest group of languages spoken in Micronesia are the Micronesian languages.
They are in the family of Oceanic languages, part of the Austronesian language group.
They are descended from the protolanguage Proto-Oceanic, which are developed
from Proto-Austronesian.
The languages in the Micronesian family
are Marshallese, Gilbertese, Kosraean, Nauruan, as well as a large sub-family called
the Trukic–Ponapeic languages containing 11 languages.
There are two languages spoken in Micronesia that are part of the Sunda–
Sulawesi language group; Chamorro in the Mariana Islands and Palauan in Palau. On
the eastern edge of the Federated States of Micronesia, the
languages Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi represent an extreme westward extension
of Polynesian.
Culture[micronesia]
Animals and food[micronesia]
By the time Western contact occurred, although Palau did not have dogs, they did
have fowls and maybe also pigs. Nowhere else in Micronesia were pigs known about
at that time. Fruit bats are native to Palau, but other mammals are rare. Reptiles are
numerous, and both mollusks and fish are an important food source.[37] The people
of Palau, the Marianas, and Yap often chew betel nuts seasoned with lime and pepper
leaf. Western Micronesia was unaware of the ceremonial drink, which was
called saka on Kosrae and sakau on Pohnpei.[14]
Architecture[micronesia]
The book Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia argues that the most prolific pre-
colonial Micronesian architecture is: "Palau's monumental sculpted hills, megalithic
stone carvings, and elaborately decorated structure of wood placed on piers above
elevated stone platforms".[38] The archeological traditions of the Yapese
people remained relatively unchanged even after the first European contact with the
region during Magellan's 1520s circumnavigation of the globe.[14]
Art[micronesia]
Micronesia's artistic tradition has developed from the Lapita culture. Among the most
prominent works of the region is the megalithic floating city of Nan Madol. The city
began in 1200 CE, and was still being built when European explorers begin to arrive
around 1600. The city, however, had declined by around 1800 along with
the Saudeleur dynasty, and was completely abandoned by the 1820s. During the 19th
century, the region was divided between the colonial powers, but art continued to
thrive. Wood-carving, particularly by men, flourished in the region, resulted in richly
decorated ceremonial houses in Belau, stylized bowls, canoe ornaments, ceremonial
vessels, and sometimes sculptured figures. Women created textiles and ornaments
such as bracelets and headbands. Stylistically, traditional Micronesian art is
streamlined and of a practical simplicity to its function, but is typically finished to a
high standard of quality. [39] This was mostly to make the best possible use of what
few natural materials they had available to them.[40]
The first half of the 20th century saw a downturn in Micronesia's cultural integrity
and a strong foreign influence from both western and Japanese Imperialist powers. A
number of historical artistic traditions, especially sculpture, ceased to be practiced,
although other art forms continued, including traditional architecture and weaving.
Independence from colonial powers in the second half of the century resulted in a
renewed interest in, and respect for, traditional arts. A notable movement of
contemporary art also appeared in Micronesia towards the end of the 20th
century.[41]
Cuisine[micronesia]
The cuisine of the Mariana Islands is tropical in nature, including such dishes
as Kelaguen as well as many others.
Palauan cuisine includes local foods such as cassava, taro, yam, potato, fish and pork.
Western cuisine is favored among young Palauans.
Education[micronesia]
The educational systems in the nations of Micronesia vary depending on the country,
and there are several higher level educational institutions.
The CariPac consists of institutions of higher education in Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. The Agricultural
Development in the American Pacific is a partnership of the University of Hawaii,
American Samoa Community College, College of Micronesia, Northern Marianas
College, and the University of Guam.
In the Federated States of Micronesia, education is required for citizens aged 6 to
13,[42] and is important to their economy.[43] The literacy rate for citizens aged 15 to
24 is 98.8%.[44]The College of Micronesia-FSM has a campus in each of the four
states with its national campus in the capital city of Palikir, Pohnpei. The COM-FSM
system also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) on
the Yap islands.[45][46]
The public education in Guam is organized by the Guam Department of Education.
Guam also has several educational institutions, such as University of Guam, Pacific
Islands University and Guam Community College, There is also the Guam Public
Library System and the Umatac Outdoor Library.
Weriyeng[47] is one of the last two schools of traditional navigation found in the
central Caroline Islands in Micronesia, the other being Fanur.[48]
The Northern Marianas College is a two-year community college located in
the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
The College of the Marshall Islands is a community college in the Marshall Islands.
Law[micronesia]
Understanding Law in Micronesia notes that The Federated States of Micronesia's
laws and legal institutions are "uninterestingly similar to [those of Western
countries]". However, it explains that "law in Micronesia is an extraordinary flux and
flow of contrasting thought and meaning, inside and outside the legal system". It says
that a knee-jerk reaction would be that law is messed up in the region and that
improvement is required, but argues that the failure is "one endemic to the nature of
law or to the ideological views we hold about law". [49]
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a United Nations Trusteeship administered
by the United States, borrowed heavily from United States law in establishing the
Trust Territory Code during the Law and Development movement of the late 1950s
and early 1960s. Many of those provisions were adopted by the new Congress of the
Federated States of Micronesia when the Federated States of Micronesia became self-
governing in 1979.[50]
Media[micronesia]
In September 2007, journalists in the region founded the Micronesian Media
Association.[51]
Music and dance[micronesia]
See also: Music of the Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesian music is influential to those living in the Micronesian islands.[52] Some
of the music is based around mythology and ancient Micronesian rituals. It covers a
range of styles from traditional songs, handed down through generations, to
contemporary music.
Traditional beliefs suggest that the music can be presented to people
in dreams and trances, rather than being written by composers themselves.
Micronesian folk music is, like Polynesian music, primarily vocal-based.
In the Marshall Islands, the roro is a kind of traditional chant, usually about ancient
legends and performed to give guidance during navigation and strength for mothers in
labour. Modern bands have blended the unique songs of each island in the country
with modern music. Though drums are not generally common in Micronesian music,
one-sided hourglass-shaped drums are a major part of Marshallese music.[53] There is
a traditional Marshallese dance called beet, which is influenced by Spanish folk
dances. In it, men and women side-step in parallel lines. There is a kind of stick
dance performed by the Jobwa, nowadays only for very special occasions.
Popular music, both from Micronesia and from other areas of the world, is played on
radio stations in Micronesia.[52]
Sports[micronesia]
The region is home to the Micronesian Games,[54] a quadrennial international multi-
sport event involving all Micronesia's countries and territories except Wake Island.
Nauru has two national sports, weightlifting and Australian rules
football.[55] According to 2007 Australian Football League International Census
figures, there are around 180 players in the Nauru senior competition and 500 players
in the junior competition,[56] representing an overall participation rate of over 30%
for the country.
Religion and mythology[micronesia]
Micronesian mythology comprises the traditional belief systems of the people of
Micronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each
island region has its own mythological beings.
There are several significant figures and myths in the Federated States of Micronesia,
Nauran and Kiribati traditions.
See also[micronesia]
Flags of Oceania
Micronesia portal

Oceania portal

Geography portal
References[micronesia]
Notes[micronesia]
^ Jump up to:a b Kirch 2001, p. 167.
Jump up^ Rainbird 2004, p. 6.
Jump up^ Kirch 2001, p. 165.
Jump up^ "Geography". rmiembassyus.org. Archived from the original on 15
November 2013.
Jump up^ "Bikini Atoll Reference Facts". Retrieved 12 August 2013.
Jump up^ "Marshall Islands". triposo.com.
Jump up^ "Operation Crossroads: Bikini Atoll". Navy Historical Center. Department
of the Navy. Archived from the original on 21 May 2000. Retrieved 4
December 2013.
Jump up^ Central Intelligence Agency (2011). "Nauru". The World Factbook.
Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b "Background Note: Nauru". State Department Bureau of East Asian
and Pacific Affairs. September 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
Jump up^ Thaman, RR; Hassall, DC. "Nauru: National Environmental Management
Strategy and National Environmental Action Plan" (PDF). South Pacific Regional
Environment Programme. p. 234.
Jump up^ Lal 2000, p. 62.
Jump up^ Kirch 2001, p. 170.
Jump up^ The History of Mankind Archived 27 September 2013 at the Wayback
Machine. by Professor Friedrich Ratzel, Book II, Section A, The Races of Oceania
page 165, picture of a stick chart from the Marshall Islands. MacMillan and Co.,
published 1896.
^ Jump up to:a b c Morgan, William N. (1988). Prehistoric Architecture in
Micronesia. p. 30. ISBN 9780292786219.
Jump up^ Tucker, Spencer (2009). "The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and
Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military
History". ISBN 9781851099511.
Jump up^ Levesque, R. (Ed.) (1992–97). History of Micronesia: A collection of
source documents, (Vol. 1–20). Quebec, Canada: Levesque Publications pp. 249, 251
Jump up^ Rainbird 2004, p. 13-14.
Jump up^ "Geological Survey Professional Paper".
Jump up^ Rainbird 2004, p. 14.
Jump up^ Ridgell, Reilly (1995). Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of
Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polonesia. p. 43. ISBN 9781573060011.
Jump up^ "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision". ESA.UN.org (custom
data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
Jump up^ Languages of Guam Archived 23 December 2013 at the Wayback
Machine.. Ns.gov.gu. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
Jump up^ Nauru. Talktalk.co.uk. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
Jump up^ Nauru. Travelblog.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
Jump up^ DOI Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) – Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana IslandsArchived 9 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.. Doi.gov. Retrieved
on 2010-11-12.
Jump up^ "Micronesians - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion,
Major holidays, Rites of passage". everyculture.com.
Jump up^ Christianity in its Global Context, 1970–2020 Society, Religion, and
Mission, Center for the Study of Global Christianity
Jump up^ Kiste, Robert C.; Marshall, Mac (1999). American Anthropology in
Micronesia: An Assessment. p. 1. ISBN 9780824820176.
Jump up^ Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga. Del español al chamorro: Lenguas en contacto en
el Pacífico. Madrid, 2009, Ediciones Gondo, www.edicionesgondo.com
Jump up^ C.D. Bay-Hansen (2006). FutureFish 2001: FutureFish in Century 21: The
North Pacific Fisheries Tackle Asian Markets, the Can-Am Salmon Treaty, and
Micronesian Seas. Trafford Publishing. p. 277. ISBN 1-55369-293-4.
Jump up^ Crocombe, R. G. (1 January 2007). "Asia in the Pacific Islands: Replacing
the West". micronesiaorips@usp.ac.fj – via Google Books.
Jump up^ "Guam Ethnic groups - Demographics". indexmundi.com.
Jump up^ "Northern Mariana Islands Demographics Profile 2016". indexmundi.com.
Jump up^ "Federated States of Micronesia Ethnic groups -
Demographics". indexmundi.com.
Jump up^ "Nauru Ethnic groups - Demographics". indexmundi.com.
Jump up^ "Palau Ethnic groups - Demographics". indexmundi.com.
Jump up^ Morgan, William N. (1988). Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia.
p. 3. ISBN 9780292786219.
Jump up^ Morgan, William N. (1988). Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia.
p. 2. ISBN 9780292786219.
Jump up^ "Micronesia, 1800–1900 a.d". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2000. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008.
Jump up^ "Oceanic art", The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Micronesiaion 2006.
Jump up^ "Micronesia, 1900 a.d.–present". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2000. Archived from the original on 21 May 2009.
Jump up^ "Education Profile of Micronesia, Micronesia Education, Education in
Micronesia, Universities in Micronesia, Schools in Micronesia, Micronesia Education
Profile". micronesiaeducation.info. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
Jump up^ Dunford, Betty; Ridgell, Reilly (1996). Pacific neighbors : the islands of
Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bess Press. ISBN 1-57306-
023-2.
Jump up^ "UNESCO Institute for Statistics". UNESCO. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
Jump up^ "Fisheries and Maritime Institute". COM-FSM website.
Jump up^ "Outline of the Fisheries Training Project in the Federated States of
Micronesia". Japan International Cooperation Agency. Archived from the original on
2007-09-28. Partner Country's Implementing Organization: Fisheries and Maritime
Institute (FMI), College of Micronesia (COM)
Jump up^ Gladwin, Thomas (1970). East Is a Big Bird. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press. p. 200. ISBN 0-674-22425-6.
Jump up^ Woodward, David (1998). History of Cartography. University of Chicago
Press. p. 470. ISBN 0-226-90728-7. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
Jump up^ Tamanaha, Brian Z. (1993). Understanding Law in Micronesia: An
Interpretive Approach to Transplanted Law. pp. 1–2. ISBN 9004097686.
Jump up^ Tamanaha, Brian Z. (1993). Understanding Law in Micronesia: An
Interpretive Approach to Transplanted Law. p. 2. ISBN 9004097686.
Jump up^ Regional journalists form Micronesian media group Archived 16 January
2008 at the Wayback Machine., Saipan Tribune, 26 September 2007
^ Jump up to:a b Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (2013). The Concise Garland
Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 1. Routledge. pp. 697–
706. ISBN 1136095705.
Jump up^ [1] Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up^ "Micronesian Games begin in Palau". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15
December 2013.
Jump up^ "Pacific Sporting Needs Assessment" (PDF). ausport.gov.au. Archived
from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2007.
Jump up^ "AFL International Census 2007" (PDF). afl.com.au. Archived from the
original (PDF)on 24 May 2011.
Bibliography[micronesia]
Kirch, Patrick Vinton (2001). On the Road of the Winds: An Archaeological History
of the Pacific Islands Before European Contact. University of California
Press. ISBN 978-0-520-92896-1.
Lal, Brij V.; Fortune, Kate (2000). The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia. University
of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2265-1.
Rainbird, Paul (2004). The Archaeology of Micronesia. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65630-6.
Further reading[micronesia]
Kirch, Patrick Vinton (2000). On the Road of the Winds. An Archaeological History
of the Pacific Islands before European Contact. University of California Press.
pp. 166–167. ISBN 0-520-22347-0.
Goetzfridt, Nicholas J. and Karen M. Peacock (2002). Micronesian Histories: An
Analytical Bibliography and Guide to Interpretations. Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press. ISBN 0313291039
External links[micronesia]
Find more aboutMicronesiaat Micronesiapedia's sister projects
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Micronesiamedia Commons
News from Micronesianews
Quotations from Micronesiaquote
Texts from Micronesiasource
Textbooks from Micronesiabooks
Travel guide from Micronesiavoyage
Learning resources from Micronesiaversity
 Data from Micronesiadata
History of Micronesia
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WorldCat Identities
Authority VIAF: 258169153
control GND: 4039224-7
NDL: 00567649
Categories:
Biodiversity hotspots
Micronesia
Regions of Oceania
Asia-Pacific