Micronesia (GPS: 6 55 N, 158 15 E) is located in Oceania, an island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia. The country’s area measurements are total: 702 sq km; land: 702 sq km, water: 0 sq km (freshwater only). This sovereign state is four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only). The total irrigated land is 0 sq km NA (2012).
One of the important features of Micronesia: Composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands.
It’s significant, and at the same time, the principal city, Palikir’s GPS coordinates are 6 55 N 158 09 E. Palikir’s local time is 16 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time. The capital’s time difference: UTC+11.
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean; They became part of a UN Trust Territory under US administration following World War II. The eastern four island groups adopted a constitution in 1979 and chose to become the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). (The westernmost island group became Palau.) Independence came in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US, which was amended in 2004. The COFA has been a force for stability and democracy in the FSM since it came into force in 1986. Present concerns include economic uncertainty after 2023 when direct US economic assistance is scheduled to end, large-scale unemployment, overfishing, overdependence on US foreign aid, and state perceptions of inequitable allocation of US aid.
As a signatory to the COFA with the US, eligible Micronesians can live, work, and study in any part of the US and its territories without a visa. This privilege reduces stresses on the island economy and the environment. Micronesians serve in the US armed forces, and military recruiting from the Federated States of Micronesia, per capita, is higher than many US states.
Micronesia’s names conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia, conventional short form: none, local long form: the Federated States of Micronesia, local short form: none, former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districtsabbreviation: FSM, etymology: the term “Micronesia” is a 19th-century construct of two Greek words, “micro” (small) and “nesoi” (islands), and refers to thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
Micronesia’s terrain is typically islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk. The country’s mean elevation: N/A, elevation extremes; lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m, highest point: Dolohmwar 791 m.
The country’s general climate is tropical: heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands: located on the southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage.
The total number of border countries is 0; none are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Micronesia’s coastline is 6,112 km, while its marital claims are: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles. Waterways: N/A. Land use: agricultural land: 25.5%; arable land 2.3%; permanent crops 19.7%; permanent pasture 3.5%; forest: 74.5%; other: 0% (2011 estimate).
The population in Micronesia 103,643 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 22.4% of total population (2015), major urban area’s population: PALIKIR (capital) 7,000 (2014), while Micronesia has N/A. Their spoken languages are English (official language and common language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi. Main religions in Micronesia are Roman Catholic 54.7%, Protestant 41.1% (includes Congregational 38.5%, Baptist 1.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 0.8%, Assembly of God 0.7%), Mormon 1.5%, other 1.9%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 estimate). The nation uses a mixed legal system of common and customary law. It is a(n) federal republic in free association with the US, National holiday(s) Constitution Day, 10 May (1979); Independence Day, 3 November (1986).
Economic overview for the country: Economic activity consists mainly of subsistence farming and fishing, and government, which employs two-thirds of the adult working population and receives funding largely – 58% in 2013 from Compact of Free Association assistance provided by the US. The islands have few commercially valuable mineral deposits. The tourism potential is limited by isolation, lack of adequate facilities, and limited internal air and water transportation. Under the terms of the original Compact, the US provided $1.3 billion in grants and aid from 1986 to 2001.
The US and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) negotiated a second (amended) Compact agreement in 2002-2003 that took effect in 2004. The amended Compact runs for a 20-year period to 2023; During which the US will provide roughly $2.1 billion to the FSM. The amended Compact also develops a trust fund for the FSM that will provide a comparable income stream beyond 2024 when Compact grants end. The country’s medium-term economic outlook appears fragile because of dependence on US assistance and lackluster performance of its small and stagnant private sector.
Natural resources of Micronesia: timber, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate.
Main export partners for Micronesia, Oceania are N/A for fish, sakau (kava), betel nuts, black pepper, while the main import partners for the country are: N/A for food, beverages, clothing, computers, household electronics, appliances, manufactured goods, automobiles, machinery and equipment, furniture, tools.
When you visit this country in Oceania, consider the natural hazards in Micronesia: Typhoons (June to December), while infectious diseases are noted: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses a significant risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016). Also, note that Micronesia faces the following environmental issues: Overfishing, Climate change, water pollution, toxic pollution from mining, Solid waste disposal.
You may also be interested in the countries next to Micronesia around its 0 km border – No border countries.
