THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 702 sq km (435 sq mi)
Population: 134,600
Capital City: Palikir
People: Micronesian and Polynesian
Languages: English, Trukese,
Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Major Political Parties: No formal
parties
Government: Unicameral Congress (14
seats; members elected by popular
vote; four - one elected from each of
state - to serve four-year terms and
10 - elected from single-member
districts delineated by population - to
serve two-year terms
GEOGRAPHY
The Federated States of Micronesia
(FSM) consists of about 605 islands
and atolls (with a total land area
approximately 701 sq km) scattered
over some 2,978,000 sq km of the
Pacific Ocean. Some islands are of
substantial size (Pohnpei, site of the
capital Palikir, is a volcanic,
mountainous island of 345.4 sq km),
many are low coral atolls, and some
mere specks that disappear at high
tide. The population is predominantly
Micronesian but there are some
Polynesian enclaves. The Spanish,
German and Japanese colonial past is
reflected in personal names and
language, and many nationals are
clearly of Japanese descent.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Spain asserted and consolidated control
over two of the Micronesian Island
groups, the Caroline and Mariana
Islands, during the 19th century. These
passed into the hands of Germany
(which controlled the neighbouring
Marshall Islands) in the late 19th
Century. Early in World War I all these
Islands were seized by Japan, which
subsequently administered them under
a League of Nations mandate. During
World War II the United States wrested
them from Japanese control. In 1947,
Micronesia became the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI),
administered by the United Nations.
Washington, which viewed the
Micronesian region in terms of
strategic denial and forward
deployment, gave little thought to its
political evolution until the early 1960s.
It formed a territory-wide legislature,
the congress of Micronesia, in 1965,
and approached the termination of the
trusteeship with the establishment of
permanent linkages between the US
and Micronesia as its objective. The
Micronesians, however, sought a status
similar to that of the Cook Islands: self
governing in free association with the
United States, with the unilateral right
to terminate the relationship in favour
of full independence. One component of
the TPPI, the Northern Marianas,
accepted a US counter proposal of
commonwealth status (modelled on its
relationship with Puerto Rico), but the
others rejected this solution. Two
components, Palau and the Marshall
Islands (both of strategic importance
to the US), preferred to form their
own governments and negotiate
independently with the United States.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Basic Economic Facts
GDP per head: $2,200 (2000 est.)
Annual Growth: 2.2%
Inflation: 7% (2000 est.)
Major Industries: tourism, fishing
Major Trading Partners: Japan, US,
NZ, Australia
Exchange rate: Uses US dollar
The FSM's economy is import based.
Economic activity consists primarily of
subsistence farming and fishing. The
islands have few mineral deposits
worth exploiting, except some
high-grade phosphate. The potential
for a tourist industry exists, but the
remoteness of the location and lack of
adequate facilities hinder development.
Fishing is also a revenue source, from
foreign licence fees and increasingly
from domestic operation. However,
financial assistance from the US is the
primary source of revenue.
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