Micronesia

Facts & Figures

Map of Micronesia

President: Emmanuel Mori (2007)

Total area: 271 sq mi (702 sq km). Land area, same (includes islands of Pohnpei, Yap, Chuuk, and Kosrae)

Population (2010 est.): 107,154 (growth rate: –0.2); birth rate: 22.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 25.2/1000; life expectancy: 71.2; density per sq km: 153

Capital (2003 est.): Palikir 11,600

Monetary unit: U.S. Dollar

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Geography

The Federated States of Micronesia is composed of the island states of Yap, Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei (Ponape), and Kosrae, all in the Caroline Islands. The islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low coral atolls, with volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk. They are located 3,200 mi (5,150 km) west-southwest of Hawaii, in the north Pacific Ocean.

Government

Constitutional government in free association with the United States since Nov. 1986.

History

The islands, inhabited by Micronesian and Polynesian peoples, were colonized by Spain in the 17th century. Germany purchased them from Spain in 1898. They were occupied by the Japanese in 1914, but American forces seized them from the Japanese during World War II. On April 2, 1947, the United Nations Security Council created the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The trust placed the Northern Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands under the administration of the United States.