Federated States of Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia
Motto: "Peace, Unity, Liberty"
Anthem: "Patriots of Micronesia"
Location of the Federated States of Micronesia
CapitalPalikir
6°55′N 158°11′E / 6.917°N 158.183°E / 6.917; 158.183
Largest townWeno[1]
Official languageEnglish
Recognized regional
languages
Ethnic groups
(2016)
Religion
(2016)[2]
Demonym(s)Micronesian
GovernmentFederal assembly-independent republic under a non-partisan democracy
• President
Wesley Simina
Aren Palik
LegislatureCongress
Independence 
from the United States
• Republic proclaimed
May 10, 1979
November 3, 1986
Area
• Total
702 km2 (271 sq mi) (177th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2019 estimate
104,468[3] (181st)
• Density
158.1/km2 (409.5/sq mi) (75th)
GDP (PPP)2019 estimate
• Total
$367 million
• Per capita
$3,584[4]
GDP (nominal)2019 estimate
• Total
$383 million
• Per capita
$3,735[4]
Gini (2013)40.1[5]
medium
HDI (2022)Increase 0.634[6]
medium (135th)
CurrencyUnited States dollar (USD)
Time zoneUTC+10 and +11
• Summer (DST)
not observed
Date formatMM/DD/YYYY
Driving sideright
Calling code+691
ISO 3166 codeFM
Internet TLD.fm
Website
FSMGov.org
  1. Regional languages used at state and municipal levels.

The Federated States of Micronesia (/ˌmkrˈnʒə/ ; abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands (a combined land area of approximately 702 km2 or 271 sq mi) that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.

While the FSM's total land area is relatively small, the country's waters occupy nearly 3 million km2 (1.2 million sq mi) of the Pacific Ocean, giving the country the 14th-largest exclusive economic zone in the world.[7][8] The sovereign island nation's capital is Palikir, located on Pohnpei Island, while the largest city is Weno, located in the Chuuk Lagoon.

Each of its four states is centered on one or more main volcanic islands, and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls. The Federated States of Micronesia is spread across part of the Caroline Islands in the wider region of Micronesia, which consists of thousands of small islands divided among several countries. The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration, but it formed its own constitutional government on May 10, 1979, becoming a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3, 1986, under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Other neighboring island entities, and also former members of the TTPI, formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (ROP). The FSM has a seat in the United Nations and has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983.

  1. ^ Summary Analysis of Key Indicators: from the FSM 2010 Census of Population and Housing (PDF). Palikir: Division of Statistics, Office of SBOC. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via Prism (SPC).
  2. ^ "Religions in Federated States Of Micronesia | PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "NA – FSM Statistics". Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". www.imf.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024". United Nations Development Programme. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "Drops in the ocean: France's marine territories". The Economist. January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "Micronesia (Federated States of)". seaaroundus.org. Retrieved March 3, 2023.