Micronesia, Federated States of
Top Sights & Landmarks
Background
Each of the four states that compose the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) -- Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap -- has its own unique history and cultural traditions. The first humans arrived in what is now the FSM in the second millennium B.C. In the 800s A.D., construction of the artificial islets at the Nan Madol complex in Pohnpei began, with the main architecture being built around 1200. At its height, Nan Madol united the approximately 25,000 people of Pohnpei under the Saudeleur Dynasty. By 1250, Kosrae was united in a kingdom centered in Leluh. Yap’s society became strictly hierarchical, with chiefs receiving tributes from islands up to 1,100 km (700 mi) away. Widespread human settlement in Chuuk began in the 1300s, and the different islands in the Chuuk Lagoon were frequently at war with one another. Portuguese and Spanish explorers visited a few of the islands in the 1500s, and Spain began exerting nominal, but not day-to-day, control over some of the islands -- which they named the Caroline Islands -- in the 1600s. In 1899, Spain sold all of the FSM to Germany. Japan seized the islands in 1914 and was granted a League of Nations mandate to administer them in 1920. During WWII, Japan built military bases across most of the islands and headquartered their Pacific naval operations in Chuuk. The US bombed Chuuk in 1944 but largely bypassed the other islands in its leapfrog campaign across the Pacific. In 1947, the FSM came under US administration as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which comprised six districts: Chuuk, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pohnpei, and Yap; Kosrae was separated from Pohnpei into a separate district in 1977. In 1979, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap ratified the FSM Constitution and declared independence while the other three districts opted to pursue separate political status. There are significant inter-island rivalries stemming from their different histories and cultures. Chuuk, the most populous but poorest state, has pushed for secession, but an independence referendum has been repeatedly postponed.
Location
Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia
Area
Elevation
Detailed Geography Information
Coastline
6,112 km
Geography - note
composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
typhoons (June to December)
Natural resources
Terrain
islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk
Population & Growth
Age Distribution
Demographic Longevity
Vital Dynamics
Detailed People & Society Information
Alcohol consumption per capita
1.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
51.7% (2023 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 48.3 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 39.5 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 8.8 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 11.4 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
11.6% of GDP (2020 est.) 18.6% national budget (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
1.06 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
11% of GDP (2021) 1.9% of national budget (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 23.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Major urban areas - population
7,000 PALIKIR (capital) (2018)
Maternal mortality ratio
129 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Micronesian(s) adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
45.8% (2016)
Physician density
0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Population distribution
the majority of the population lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas
Religions
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Climate & Issues
tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage
Land Cover
Air & Carbon Emissions
Detailed Environmental Information
International environmental agreements
Urbanization
urban population: 23.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 26,000 tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15.2% (2022 est.)
Capital & State Profile
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
National Identity & Symbols
light blue with four five-pointed white stars centered and arranged in a diamond pattern
Detailed Government Information
Administrative divisions
4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of FSM dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Constitution
history: drafted June 1975, ratified 1 October 1978, entered into force 10 May 1979 amendment process: proposed by Congress, by a constitutional convention, or by public petition; passage requires approval by at least three-fourths majority vote in at least three fourths of the states note: at least every ten years, voters are asked as part of a general or special election whether to hold a constitution convention; a majority of affirmative votes is required to proceed
Country name
conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia conventional short form: none local long form: Federated States of Micronesia local short form: none former: New Philippines; Caroline Islands; Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts abbreviation: FSM etymology: the name is a 19th-century construct of two Greek words, mikros (small) and nesoi (islands), and refers to its thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Federated States of Micronesia Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and not more than 5 associate justices and organized into appellate and criminal divisions) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the FSM president with the approval of two-thirds of Congress; justices appointed for life subordinate courts: the highest state-level courts are: Chuuk Supreme Court; Korsae State Court; Pohnpei State Court; Yap State Court
Legal system
mixed system of common and customary law
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Nan Madol: Ceremonial Center of Eastern Micronesia
Political parties
no formal parties
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economic Overview
lower middle-income Pacific island economy; US aid reliance, sunsetting in 2024; low entrepreneurship; mostly fishing and farming; US dollar user; no patent laws; tourism remains underdeveloped; significant corruption
Size & Performance
GDP Sector Breakdown
Trade Balance
Budget Balance
Export Profile
Top Export Partners
Major Export Commodities
Import Profile
Top Import Partners
Major Import Commodities
Detailed Economic Data
Agricultural products
Current account balance
$12 million (2017 est.) $11 million (2016 est.) $22.408 million (2014 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exchange rates
the US dollar is used
Industrial production growth rate
0.8% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.4% (2022 est.) 3.2% (2021 est.) 0.6% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Public debt
27.8% of GDP (2020 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP
Remittances
5.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 5.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 6% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$497.434 million (2021 est.) $451.913 million (2020 est.) $397.158 million (2019 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Taxes and other revenues
7% (of GDP) (2020 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Grid Infrastructure
Fossil Fuels Production
Digital Access
Active internet users as a percentage of the total population.
Fixed Broadband
Mobile Cellular
Broadcast Media
Aviation
Ports & Harbors
Merchant Marine
Service & Defense Details
no military forces; Federated States of Micronesia National Police (includes a maritime wing)
defense is the responsibility of the US; in 1982, the FSM signed a Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the US, which granted the FSM financial assistance and access to many US domestic programs in exchange for exclusive US military access and defense responsibilities; the COFA entered into force in 1986; Micronesians can serve in the US armed forces the FSM has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within the FSM's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2025)