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Federated States of Micronesia

An island country in the western Pacific, encompassing most of the Caroline Islands.

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Federated States of Micronesia

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class William Spears · Public domain

The Federated States of Micronesia is a sovereign nation in free association with the United States, which is wholly responsible for its defense.[1] The Pacific Ocean waters within the country's jurisdiction cover roughly 3 million square kilometers, which places it 14th globally for the size of its exclusive economic zone.[2] Palikir, situated on Pohnpei Island, serves as the national capital, while the most populous urban center is Weno, located in Chuuk Lagoon.[2]

Geography and history

The islands are grouped into four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae.[3] Nan Madol, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Pohnpei, was the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty from about AD 500 until 1500.[4] Spain sold the archipelago to Germany in 1899 after the Spanish–American War, and Germany incorporated it into German New Guinea.[5] Japan captured the islands during World War I and later administered them under a League of Nations mandate.[6]

After World War II, the islands were placed under U.S. administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formalized on 2 April 1947.[7] The nation comprises 607 islands that stretch for 2,900 km through the Caroline Islands, positioned east of the Philippines, and these islands collectively cover 702 km² of land.[8] During the 1870s, Germany started to expand its presence in the Caroline Islands, which sparked the 1885 Carolines Question; the resulting papal arbitration affirmed Spanish sovereignty while granting Germany unrestricted access.[9] A constitution was ratified on May 10, 1979, by four districts of the Trust Territory, thereby creating the Federated States of Micronesia; full independence under international law was achieved in 1990.[10]

A Compact of Free Association between the FSM and the United States took effect on November 3, 1986, and this agreement was subsequently renewed in 2004.[10]

What the cited sources add

The Pacific RISA account notes that the FSM extends 1,700 miles (2,736 km) from east to west, forming the Eastern and Western Caroline Islands.[11] The same source states that Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM states.[11] The Compact of Free Association was initialed by negotiators in 1980 and signed in 1982.[12] The U.S. Department of the Interior reports that the FSM adopted its constitution and became independent in 1979, entered the Compact in 1986, and joined the United Nations in 1991.[13]

Worlddata.info records that the hottest meteorological summer in Micronesia was in 2016 with an average temperature of 28.6 °C.[14] The same source notes that the coldest winter was in 1993 with an average temperature of 26.8 °C.[14] The Pacific RISA account adds that the states of Pohnpei and Chuuk declared drought emergencies due to food and water shortages from climate variability.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "U.S. Military Enlistment Standards" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drops in the ocean: France's marine territories", The Economist, January 13, 2016; "Micronesia (Federated States of)", seaaroundus.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keesing, "Melanesian Pidgin and the oceanic substrate", Stanford University Press, 1988, p. 15; "The Europa world year book 2004.", Europa, 2004 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Federated States of Micronesia", Pacific RISA - Managing Climate Risk in Pacific Islands, February 3, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pastor y Santos 1950, p. 21; "Micronesia, Federated States of", CIA World Factbook (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Foster, S., Hezel, F.X. "Micronesia." Encyclopedia Britannica, February 27, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/place/Micronesia-republic-Pacific-Ocean (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Security Council Resolution 21 - UNSCR", unscr.com; United Nations Security Council. (1947). Trusteeship of Strategic Areas (Resolution No. 21) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The World Factbook -- Central Intelligence Agency", Cia World Factbook (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eirik Bjorge, "The Evolutionary Interpretation of Treaties", OUP Oxford, July 17, 2014, p. 149 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Federated States of Micronesia" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Compact of Free Association"; Foster, S., Hezel, F.X. "Micronesia." Encyclopedia Britannica, February 27, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/place/Micronesia-republic-Pacific-Ocean; "Federated States of Micronesia U.S. Department of the Interior", www.doi.gov, 2015-06-11 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Federated States of Micronesia", Pacific RISA - Managing Climate Risk in Pacific Islands, February 3, 2012. facts only, no text reused. pacificrisa.org
  12. "Compact of Free Association". facts only, no text reused. fsmlaw.org
  13. "Federated States of Micronesia U.S. Department of the Interior", www.doi.gov, 2015-06-11. facts only, no text reused. doi.gov
  14. "That's how warm it is in the Federated States of Micronesia: 30.6 °C on average per year and over 1750 hours of sunshine!", Worlddata.info. facts only, no text reused. worlddata.info

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Federated States of Micronesia (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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