Micronesia: Difference between revisions

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'''Micronesia''' (from {{lang-gr|μικρός}}, ''mikrós'', "small" + {{lang-gr|νῆσος}}, ''nēsos'', "island") is a [[subregion]] of [[Oceania]], comprising thousands of small islands in the western [[Pacific Ocean]]. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, [[Polynesia]] to the east and [[Melanesia]] to the south.

There are four main [[archipelago]]s along with numerous outlining islands. Micronesia is divided politically into five [[sovereign states]] and three [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]]. The region has a [[tropical marine climate]], and is part of the [[Oceania ecozone]].

Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers.{{sfn|Kirch|2001|p=167}} The earliest known contact with Europeans occurred in 1521, when [[Ferdinand Magellan]] reached the Marianas. The coinage of the term "Micronesia" is usually attributed to [[Jules Dumont d'Urville]] usage in 1832, however [[Domeny de Rienzi]] had used the term a year previously.{{sfn|Rainbird|2004|p=6}}

[[Image:Pacific Culture Areas.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas in the [[Pacific Ocean]], along with [[Polynesia]] and [[Melanesia]].]]

Micronesia is a region that includes approximately 2100 islands, with a total land area of {{convert|2700|sqkm}}, the largest of which is [[Guam]], which covers {{convert|582|sqkm}}. The total ocean area within the perimeter of the islands is {{convert|7,400,000|sqkm}}.{{sfn|Kirch|2001|p=165}} There are four main island groups; the [[Caroline Islands]], the [[Gilbert Islands]], the [[Mariana Islands]], the [[Marshall Islands]].

===Caroline Islands===

The [[Caroline Islands]] are a widely scattered [[archipelago]] consists of about 500 small [[coral island]]s, north of [[New Guinea]] and east of the [[Philippines]]. The Carolines consist of two states: the [[Federated States of Micronesia]], consisting of approximately 600 islands on the eastern side of the chain, and [[Palau]] consisting of 250 islands on the western side.

===Gilbert Islands===

The [[Gilbert Islands]] are a chain of sixteen [[atoll]]s and coral islands, arranged in an approximate north-to-south line. In a geographical sense, the [[equator]] serves as the dividing line between the northern Gilbert Islands and the southern Gilbert Islands. The [[Kiribati|Republic of Kiribati]] contains all of the Gilberts, as well as the island of [[Tarawa]], the site of the country's capital.

===Mariana Islands===

The [[Mariana Islands]] are an arc-shaped [[archipelago]] made up by the summits of fifteen volcanic mountains. The island chain arises as a result of the western edge of the [[Pacific Plate]] moving westward and plunging downward below the [[Mariana plate]], a region which is the most volcanically active convergent plate boundary on Earth. The Marianas are divided politically into two territories of the [[United States]]: The [[Northern Mariana Islands]], officially known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and [[Guam]], located at the southern end of the island chain. Guam is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government.<ref name="oia">"[http://web.archive.org/web/20070209094507/http://www.doi.gov/oia/Firstpginfo/territories.html U.S. Territories]." DOI Office of Insular Affairs. February 9, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20110721034923/http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/political_types.htm "Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations"]. [[Office of Insular Affairs]]. Retrieved October 31, 2008.</ref>

===Marshall Islands===

[[File:Laura beach n tree (170671778).jpg|thumb|Beach scenery at [[Laura, Marshall Islands|Laura]], [[Majuro]], Marshall Islands]]

The [[Marshall Islands]] is an [[island country]], located north of [[Nauru]] and [[Kiribati]], east of the [[Federated States of Micronesia]], and south of the U.S. territory of [[Wake Island]], to which it lays claim. The country consists of 29 low-lying [[atoll]]s and 5 isolated islands,<ref>[http://www.rmiembassyus.org/Geography.htm]</ref> comprising 1,156 individual islands and [[islet]]s. The atolls and islands form two groups: the [[Ratak Chain]] and the [[Ralik Chain]] (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains). All the islands in the chain are part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]] in [[Associated state|free association]] with the United States. Having few natural resources, the islands' wealth is based on a [[service economy]], as well as some [[fishing]] and [[agriculture]]. 24 of them are inhabited.

====Bikini Atoll====

[[Bikini Atoll]] is an atoll in the Marshall islands. There are 23 islands in the Bikini Atoll. The islands of Bokonijien, Aerokojlol, and Nam were vaporized during nuclear tests that occurred there.<ref name=facts>{{cite web|title=Bikini Atoll Reference Facts|url=http://www.bikiniatoll.com/facts.html|accessdate=12 August 2013}}</ref> The islands are composed of low coral limestone аnd sand.<ref name=triposo>[http://www.triposo.com/loc/Marshall_Islands Destinations / Marshall Islands]</ref> The average elevation is only about {{convert|7|ft}} above low tide level.

<center><gallery caption="" widths="175px" heights="175px">

File:Castle Bravo Blast.jpg|Image of the [[Castle Bravo]] nuclear test, detonated on March 1, 1954 at Bikini Atoll

File:Cross spikes club.jpg|An illustration of the Cross Spikes Club<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/bikini/bikini1.htm | title = Operation Crossroads: Bikini Atoll | work = Navy Historical Center | publisher = Department of the Navy |accessdate=4 December 2013 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081019224940/http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/bikini/bikini1.htm| archivedate= 19 October 2008 |deadurl=no}}</ref> of the US Navy on [[Bikini Atoll]], one of several Marshall Islands used for [[Bikini atomic experiments|atomic bomb tests]].

File:Kili Island - NASA Astronaut Photography.png|Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands.

</gallery></center>

===Nauru===

[[Nauru]] is an oval-shaped [[island country]] in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, {{convert|42|km|mi|0}} south of the [[Equator]], listed as the [[List of countries by area|world's smallest republic]], covering just {{convert|21|km2|sqmi|0}}.<ref name=CIA>{{cite web |author=Central Intelligence Agency |authorlink=Central Intelligence Agency |publisher=[[The World Factbook]] |title=Nauru |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nr.html |year=2011 |accessdate=12 February 2011}}</ref> With 9,378 residents, it is the second [[List of countries by population|least-populated country]], after [[Vatican City]]. The island is surrounded by a coral reef, which is exposed at low tide and dotted with pinnacles.<ref name=state/> The presence of the reef has prevented the establishment of a [[seaport]], although [[Canals in Nauru|channels]] in the reef allow small boats access to the island.<ref>{{cite web|page=234|url=http://www.sprep.org/att/IRC/eCOPIES/Countries/Nauru/11.pdf|author=Thaman, RR; Hassall, DC|publisher=South Pacific Regional Environment Programme|title=Nauru: National Environmental Management Strategy and National Environmental Action Plan}}</ref> A fertile coastal strip {{convert|150|to|300|m|ft}} wide lies inland from the beach.<ref name=state>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/16447.htm|title=Background Note: Nauru|publisher=State Department Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs|date=September 2005|accessdate=11 May 2006}}</ref>

<center><gallery caption="" widths="175px" heights="175px">

File:Aerial view of Nauru.jpg|Aerial view of Nauru

File:Nauru Denigomodu-Nibok.jpg|Nauruan districts of [[Denigomodu]] and [[Nibok]]

</gallery></center>

===Wake Island===

[[Wake Island]] is a coral atoll with a [[coastline]] of {{convert|12|mi|km}} just north of the [[Marshall Islands]]. It is an [[unorganized territory|unorganized]], [[unincorporated territory]] of the United States. Access to the island is restricted, and all activities on the island are managed by the [[United States Air Force]].

<center><gallery caption="" widths="175px" heights="175px">

File:Wake Island by Agate.jpg|Wake Island as depicted by the [[United States Exploring Expedition]], drawn by [[Alfred Thomas Agate]]

File:Wake Island air.JPG|Aerial view Wake Island, looking westward

</gallery></center>

===Geology===

{{Expand section|date=December 2013}}

The most of the islands of the area are part of a [[atoll|coral atoll]]. Coral atolls began as [[coral reefs]] that grew on the slopes of a central [[volcano]]. When the volcano sank back down into the sea, the coral continued to grow keeping the reef at or above water level. One exception is [[Pohnpei State|Pohnpei]] in FSM. It still has the central volcano and coral reefs around it.

===Fauna===

{{main|List of mammals of Micronesia|List of birds of Micronesia}}

[[Image:SpinnerDolphinsoffKauai 1999-03-15.jpg|thumb|[[Spinner Dolphin]]s]]

{{Expand section|date=December 2013}}

===Climate===

The region has a [[tropical marine climate]] moderated by seasonal northeast [[trade wind]]s. There is little seasonal temperature variation. The dry season runs from December or January to June, and the rainy season from July to November or December. Because of the location of some islands, the rainy season can sometimes include [[typhoon]]s.

===Pre-history===

Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers.{{sfn|Kirch|2001|p=167}} There are numerous difficulties with conducting archaeological excavations in the islands, due to their size, settlement patterns and storm damage. As a result, much evidence is based on linguistic analysis.{{sfn|Lal|2000|p=62}} The earliest archaeological traces of civilization have been found on the island of [[Saipan]], dated to 1500 BCE or slightly before.{{sfn|Kirch|2001|p=170}}

Micronesian colonists gradually settled the Marshall Islands during the [[2nd millennium BC]], with inter-island navigation made possible using [[Marshall Islands stick chart|traditional stick chart]]s.<ref>[http://www.inquirewithin.biz/history/american_pacific/oceania/orientation.htm The History of Mankind] by Professor Friedrich Ratzel, Book II, Section A, The Races of Oceania page 165, picture of a stick chart from the Marshall Islands. MacMillan and Co., published 1896.</ref>

Construction of [[Nan Madol]], a [[megalith|megalithic]] complex made from [[Basalt#Columnar_basalt|basalt lava logs]] in Pohnpei began as early as 1200 CE.

The prehistory of many Micronesian islands such as Yap are not known very well.<ref name="books.google">{{cite book|last=Morgan|first=William N.|title=Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia|pages=30|url=http://books.google.com/?id=B3Z-aH7govUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9780292786219|year=1988}}</ref>

===Early European contact===

The earliest known contact with Europans occurred in 1521, when [[Ferdinand Magellan]] reached the Marianas <ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=8V3vZxOmHssC&pg=PA379&dq=ferdinand+magellan+mariana+islands#v=onepage&q=ferdinand%20magellan%20mariana%20islands&f=false | title = The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History | isbn = 9781851099511 | author1 = Tucker | first1 = Spencer | year = 2009}}</ref> This contact is recorded in [[Antonio Pigafetta]]'s chronicle of Magellan's voyage, in which he recounts that the Chamarro people had no apparent knowledge of people outside of their island group.<ref>Levesque, R. (Ed.) (1992-97). History of Micronesia: A collection of source documents, (Vol. 1-20). Quebec, Canada: Levesque Publications pp. 249, 251</ref> A Portuguese account of the same voyage suggests that the Chamarro people who greeted the travellers did so "without any shyness as if they were good acquaintances", raising the possibility that earlier unrecorded contact had occurred.{{sfn|Rainbird|2004|p=13-14}}

Further contact was made during the sixteenth century, although often initial encounters were very brief. Documents relating to the 1525 voyage of [[Diogo da Rocha]] suggest that he made the first European contact with inhabitants of the Caroline Islands, possibly staying on the [[Ulithi]] atoll for four months and encountering [[Yap]]. Marshall Islanders were encountered by [[Alvaro de Saavedra]] in 1529.<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=CegqAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA3&dq=%C3%81lvaro+de+Saavedra+marshall+islands#v=onepage&q=%C3%81lvaro%20de%20Saavedra%20marshall%20islands&f=false | title = Geological Survey Professional Paper}}</ref> More certain recorded contact with the Yap islands occurred in 1625.{{sfn|Rainbird|2004|p=14}}

===Colonisation and conversion===

In the early 17th century [[Spain]] colonized [[Guam]], the [[Northern Marianas]], and the [[Caroline Islands]] (what would later become the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau), creating the [[Spanish East Indies]], which was governed from the [[Spanish Philippines]].

In 1819, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions - a Protestant group - brought their Puritan ways to Polynesia. Soon after, the Hawaiian Missionary Society was founded, and sent missionaries into Micronesia. Conversion was not met with as much opposition, as the local religions were less developed. In contrast, it took until the end of the 19th/beginning of the 20th centuries for missionaries to successfully covert Melanesians, without fear of being killed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ridgell|first=Reilly|title=Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polonesia|page=43|url=http://books.google.com/?id=p3liL6fAjrcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9781573060011|year=1995}}</ref>

===German–Spanish Treaty of 1899===

[[File:German new guinea 1888 1899.png|thumb|[[German New Guinea]] before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899]]

{{main|German–Spanish Treaty (1899)}}

After the {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|6}}, which was sent by the United States to protect American commercial interests in [[Cuba]], exploded in [[Havana Harbor]], triggering the [[Spanish–American War]], Spain lost many of its remaining colonies. Cuba became independent while the United States took possession of [[Puerto Rico]] and Spain's Pacific colonies of the Philippines and Guam. This left Spain with the remainder of the Spanish East Indies in the Pacific, about 6000 islands that were tiny, sparsely populated, not very productive, and that were both ungovernable after the loss of the administrative centre of Manila, and undefendable after the loss of two Spanish fleets in the war. The Spanish government therefore decided to sell the remaining island to a new colonial power: the [[German Empire]].

The treaty was signed on February 12, 1899 by Spanish Prime Minister [[Francisco Silvela]] and transferred the Caroline Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau and other possessions to Germany. The islands were then placed under control of [[German New Guinea]]. Nauru was [[Annexation|annexed]] and claimed as a colony by the [[German Empire]] in the late 19th century.

===20th century===

[[File:MapofTTPI.gif|thumb|Map from 1961 of the US [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]], formerly Japan's [[South Pacific Mandate]].]]

Full European colonization did not come until the early 20th century, when the area would be divided between:

* the [[United States]], which took control of Guam following the Spanish-American War of 1898, and colonized [[Wake Island]];

* Germany, which took Nauru and bought the Marshall, Caroline, and Northern Mariana Islands from Spain; and

During [[World War I]], Germany's Pacific island territories were seized and became [[League of Nations mandate]]s in 1923. Nauru became an [[Australia]]n mandate, while Germany's other territories in Micronesia were given as a mandate to [[Japan]] and were named the [[South Pacific Mandate]]. During [[World War&nbsp;II]], Nauru was occupied by [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] troops, who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. Following Japan's defeat in [[World War II]] its mandate became a [[United Nations Trusteeship]] ruled by the United States, the [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]].

Today, most of Micronesia are independent states, except for Guam and Wake Island, which are U.S. territories, and for the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], which are a [[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|U.S. commonwealth]]. Nauru gained its independence in 1968.

==Politics==

The [[Secretariat of the Pacific Community]] is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories in the Pacific Ocean and their metropolitan powers.

===States and dependencies===

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Country !! Population (July 2010 estimate) !! Area (km²) !! Population density (/km²) !! Urban population !! Life expectancy !! Literacy Rate !! Official language(s) !! Top religion(s) !! Ethnic groups

|-

| {{FSM}} || 107,154 || 702 || 152.641 || 22% || 71.23 || 89% || English || Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, others 3% || [[Chuuk State|Chuuk]]ese 48.8%, [[Pohnpei]]an 24.2%, [[Kosrae]]an 6.2%, [[Yap]]ese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 7.8%

|-

| {{GUM}} (United States) || 180,865 || 1,478 || 122.371 || 93% || 78.18 || 99% || English 38.3%, [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] 22.2%<ref>[http://ns.gov.gu/language.html Languages of Guam]. Ns.gov.gu. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.</ref> || Roman Catholic 85% || [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] 37.1%, [[Philippines|Filipino]] 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%, white 6.9%, other 8.6%, mixed 9.8%

|-

| {{KIR}} || 99,482 || 811 || 122.666 || 44% || 64.03 || 92% || English, [[Gilbertese]] (de facto) || Roman Catholic 55%, Protestant 36% || Micronesian 98.8%

|-

| {{MHL}} || 65,859 || 181 || 363.862 || 71% || 71.48 || 93.7% || [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]] 98.2%, English || Protestant 54.8%, other Christian 40.6% || [[Marshall Islands|Marshallese]] 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2%

|-

| {{NRU}} || 9,267 || 21 || 441.286 || 100% || 64.99 || 99%<ref>[http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/countryfacts/nauru.html Nauru]. Talktalk.co.uk. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.</ref> || [[Nauruan language|Nauruan]]{{Cref|f}} || [[Nauru Congregational Church]] 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent Church (Protestant)<ref>[http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-84053.html Nauru]. Travelblog.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.</ref> 10.4% || [[Nauruan people|Nauruan]] 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

|-

| {{MNP}} (United States) || 48,317 || 464 || 104.131 || 91% || 76.9 || 97% || English<ref>[http://www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/cnmipage.htm DOI Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) – Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]. Doi.gov. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.</ref> || Christian || Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, White 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8%

|-

| {{PLW}} || 20,879 || 459 || 45.488 || 81% || 71.51 || 92% || [[Palauan language|Paluan]] 64.7%{{Cref|d}}, English || Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3% || [[Palau]]an 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, [[Carolinian people|Carolinian]] 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other 3.2%

|-

! Total || 531,823 || 4,116 || 193.206 || 71.71% || 71.19 || 94.93% || || ||

|}

==Economy ==

Nationally, the primary income is the sale of fishing rights to foreign nations that harvest tuna using huge [[purse seine|purse seiners]]. A few Japanese [[Longline fishing|long liners]] still ply the waters. The crews aboard fishing fleets contribute little to the local economy since their ships typically set sail loaded with stores and provisions that are cheaper than local goods. Additional money comes in from government grants, mostly from the United States, and the the $150 million dollars the US paid into a trust fund for reparations of residents of Bikini Atoll that had to move after nuclear testing. Few mineral deposits worth exploiting exist, except for some high-grade phosphate, [[Phosphate mining in Nauru|especially on Nauru]].

Most residents of Micronesia can freely move to, and work within, the United States. Relatives working in the US that send money home to relatives represents the primary source of individual income. Additional individual income comes mainly from government jobs, and work within shops and restaurants.

The [[tourist industry]] consists mainly of SCUBA divers that come to see the coral reefs, do wall dives, and visit sunken ships from WWII. Major stops for SCUBA divers in approximate order are Palau, Chuuk, Yap, and Phonpei. Some private yacht owners visit the area for months or years at a time. However, they tend to stay mainly at ports of entry and are too few in number to be counted as a major source of income.

Copra production used to be a more significant source of income, however, world prices have dropped in part to large palm plantations that are now planted in places like [[Borneo]].

==Demographics==

{{further|Demographics of Oceania}}

Though they are all geographically part of the same region, they all have very different colonial histories. The US-administered areas of Micronesia have a unique experience that sets them apart from the rest of the Pacific. Micronesia has great economic dependency on its former or current motherlands, something only comparable to the French Pacific. Sometimes, the term ''American Micronesia'' is used to acknowledge the difference in cultural heritage.<ref>{{cite book|Author=Kiste, Robert C.; Marshall, Mac|title=American Anthropology in Micronesia: An Assessment|year=1999|page=1|url=http://books.google.com/?id=V8Dr4fJxlkIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9780824820176}}</ref>

===Carolinian people===

It is thought that ancestors of the [[Carolinian people]] may have originally immigrated from [[Asia]] and [[Indonesia]] to Micronesia around 2,000 years ago. Their primary language is [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]], called ''Refaluwasch'' by native speakers, which has a total of about 5,700 speakers. The Carolinians have a [[matriarchy|matriarchal]] society in which respect is a very important factor in their daily lives, especially toward the [[matriarch]]s. Most Carolinians are of the [[Roman Catholic]] faith.

The immigration of Carolinians to [[Saipan]] began in the early 19th century, after the [[Spain|Spanish]] reduced the local population of [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] natives to just 3,700. They began to [[immigrate]] mostly sailing from small [[canoes]] from other islands, which a [[typhoon]] previously devastated. The Carolinians have a much darker complexion than the native [[Chamorro people|Chamorros]].

===Chamorro people===

[[File:Chamorro people in 1915.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Chamorro people in 1915]]

The [[Chamorro people]] are the [[indigenous peoples]] of the [[Mariana Islands]], which are politically divided between the [[Territories of the United States|United States territory]] of [[Guam]] and the [[United States]] [[Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]] in Micronesia. The Chamorro are commonly believed to have come from [[Southeast Asia]] at around 2000 [[Common Era|BC]]. They are most closely related to other [[Austronesian]] natives to the west in the [[Philippines]] and [[Taiwanese aborigines|Taiwan]], as well as the [[Caroline Islands|Carolines]] to the south.

The [[Chamorro language]] is included in the [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|Malayo-Polynesian subgroup]] of the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] family. Because Guam was colonized by Spain for over 300 years, many words derive from the [[Spanish language]]. The traditional Chamorro number system was replaced by Spanish numbers.<ref>Rafael Rodríguez-Ponga. ''Del español al chamorro: Lenguas en contacto en el Pacífico''. Madrid, 2009, Ediciones Gondo, www.edicionesgondo.com</ref>

===Chuukese people===

The [[Chuukese people]] are an [[ethnic group]] in [[Oceania]]. They constitute 48% of the population of the [[Federated States of Micronesia]]. Their language is [[Chuukese language|Chuukese]]. The home atoll of Chuuk is also known by by the former name Truk.

===Kaping people===

The roughly 3000 residents of the Federated States of Micronesia that reside in [[Kapingamarangi]], nick-named 'Kapings', are both one of the most remote and most difficult people to visit in Micronesia and the entire world. Their home atoll is almost a 1000 mile round trip to the nearest point of immigration check-in and check-out. There are no regular flights. The only way to legally visit is to first check-in, travel on a high-speed sailboat to the atoll, and then backtrack almost 500 miles. Owing to this difficulty, only a handful of the few sailors that travel across the Pacific will attempt to visit. The local language is [[Kapingamarangi|Kapingamarangi language]]. The children typically attend high-school on Phonpei where they stay with relatives in an enclave that is almost exclusively made up of Kapings.

===Nauruan people===

The [[Nauruan people]] are an [[ethnicity]], which inhabit the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] [[island]] of [[Nauru]]. They are most likely a blend of [[Indigenous peoples of Oceania|other Pacific peoples]].<ref>{{cite book|title=FutureFish 2001: FutureFish in Century 21: The North Pacific Fisheries Tackle Asian Markets, the Can-Am Salmon Treaty, and Micronesian Seas|author=C.D. Bay-Hansen|year=2006|url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/1553692934|publisher=[[Trafford Publishing]]|isbn=1-55369-293-4|page=277}}</ref>

The origin of the Nauruan people has not yet been finally determined. It can possibly be explained by the last Malayo-Pacific [[human migration]] (c. 1200). It was probably seafaring or shipwrecked [[Polynesians]] or [[Melanesian]]s, which established themselves there because there was not already an [[indigenous people]] present, whereas the [[Micronesians]] were already crossed with the Melanesians in this area.

===Languages===

The largest group of languages spoken in Micronesia are the [[Micronesian languages]]. They are in the family of [[Oceanic languages]], part of the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian language]] group. They are descended from the [[protolanguage]] [[Proto-Oceanic language|Proto-Oceanic]], which are developed from [[Proto-Austronesian language|Proto-Austronesian]].

The languages in the Micronesian family are [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]], [[Gilbertese language|Gilbertese]], [[Kosraean language|Kosraean]], [[Nauruan language|Nauruan]], as well as a large sub-family called the [[Trukic–Ponapeic languages]] containing 11 languages.

There are two languages spoken in Micronesia that are part of the [[Sunda–Sulawesi languages|Sunda–Sulawesi]] language group; [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] in the [[Mariana Islands]] and [[Palauan language|Palauan]] in [[Palau]]. On the eastern edge of the Federated States of Micronesia, the languages [[Nukuoro language|Nukuoro]] and [[Kapingamarangi language|Kapingamarangi]] represent an extreme westward extension of [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian]].

===Animals and food===

By the time Western cxontact occurred, although Palau did not have dogs, they did have fowls and maybe also pigs. Nowhere else in Micronesia were pigs known about at that time. Fruit bats are native to Palau, but other mammals are rare. Reptiles are numerous, and both mollusks and fish are an important food source.<ref>{{cite book|last=Morgan|first=William N.|title=Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia|pages=3|url=http://books.google.com/?id=B3Z-aH7govUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9780292786219|year=1988}}</ref> The people of Palau, the Marianas, and Yap often crewed betel nuts seasoned with lime and pepper leaf.Western Micronesia was unaware of this ceremonial drink, which was called ''saka'' on Kosrae and ''sakau'' on Pohnpei.<ref name="books.google" />

===Architecture===

The book ''Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia'' argues that the most prolific pre-colonial Micronesian architecture is: "Palau's monumental sculpted hills, megalithic stone carvings, and elaborately decoratedstructures of wood placed on piers above elevated stone platforms".<ref>{{cite book|last=Morgan|first=William N.|title=Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia|pages=2|url=http://books.google.com/?id=B3Z-aH7govUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9780292786219|year=1988}}</ref> The archeological traditions of the Yapese people remained relatively unchanged even after the first European contact with the region during Magellan's 1520s circumnavigation of the globe.<ref name="books.google" />

===Art===

Micronesia's artistic tradition has developed from the [[Lapita culture]]. Among the most prominent works of the region is the megalithic floating city of [[Nan Madol]]. The city began in 1200 AD, and was still being built when European explorers begin to arrive around 1600. The city, however, had declined by around 1800 along with the Saudeleur dynasty, and was completely abandoned by the 1820s. During the 19th century, the region was divided between the colonial powers, but art continued to thrive. Wood-carving, particularly by men, flourished in the region, resulted in richly decorated ceremonial houses in [[Belau]], stylized bowls, canoe ornaments, ceremonial vessels, and sometimes sculptured figures. Women created textiles and ornaments such as bracelets and headbands. Stylistically, traditional Micronesian art is streamlined and of a practical simplicity to its function, but is typically finished to a high standard of quality.

<ref>{{cite web|title=Micronesia, 1800–1900 a.d|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah//ht/10/oci/ht10oci.htm|work=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History|publisher=[[The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201183658/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah//ht/10/oci/ht10oci.htm|archivedate=December 1, 2008|year=2000}}</ref> This was mostly to make the best possible use of what few natural materials they had available to them.<ref>"Oceanic art", The [[Columbia Encyclopedia]], Sixth Edition 2006.</ref>

The first half of the 20th century saw a downturn in Micronesia's cultural integrity and a strong foreign influence from both western and Japanese Imperialist powers. A number of historical artistic traditions, especially sculpture, ceased to be practiced, although other art forms continued, including traditional architecture and weaving. Independence from colonial powers in the second half of the century resulted in a renewed interest in, and respect for, traditional arts. A notable movement of contemporary art also appeared in Micronesia towards the end of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Micronesia, 1900 a.d.–present|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/11/oci/ht11oci.htm|work=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History|publisher=[[The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521202632/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/11/oci/ht11oci.htm|archivedate=May 21, 2009|year=2000}}</ref>

===Cuisine===

The cuisine of the Mariana Islands is tropical in nature, including such dishes as [[Kelaguen]] as well as many others.

Palauan cuisine includes local foods such as cassava, taro, yam, potato, fish and pork. Western cuisine is favored among young Palauans.

===Education===

The educational systems in the nations of Micronesia varies depending on the country, and there are several higher level educational institutions.

The [[CariPac]] consists of institutions of [[higher education]] in [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[American Samoa]], [[Puerto Rico]], the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], the [[Federated States of Micronesia]], the [[Marshall Islands]], and [[Palau]]. The [[Agricultural Development in the American Pacific]] is a partnership of the University of Hawaii, American Samoa Community College, College of Micronesia, Northern Marianas College, and the University of Guam.

In the Federated States of Micronesia, education is required for citizens aged 6 to 13,<ref name=".info">{{cite web |url= http://micronesiaeducation.info//profile.asp |title=Education Profile of Micronesia, Micronesia Education, Education in Micronesia, Universities in Micronesia, Schools in Micronesia, Micronesia Education Profile |publisher=micronesiaeducation.info |accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref> and is important to their economy.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Dunford | first1 = Betty | last2 = Ridgell | first2 = Reilly | title = Pacific neighbors : the islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia | publisher = Bess Press | year = 1996 | location = Honolulu, Hawaii | accessdate = 13 October 2011 | isbn = 1-57306-023-2}}</ref> The literacy rate for citizens aged 15 to 24 is 98.8%.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=121&IF_Language=eng&BR_Country=4845 |title=UNESCO Institute for Statistics |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=13 October 2011}}</ref> The [[College of Micronesia-FSM]] has a campus in each of the four states with its national campus in the capital city of [[Palikir]], [[Pohnpei]]. The COM-FSM system also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) on the [[Yap]] islands.<ref name="FMI">{{cite web |url= http://www.comfsm.fm/fmi/index.html |title= Fisheries and Maritime Institute |work= COM-FSM website |quote= }}</ref><ref name="JICA">{{cite web |url= http://www.jica.go.jp/english/evaluation/project/term/oc/archives/14-1-52.html |title= Outline of the Fisheries Training Project in the Federated States of Micronesia |work= [[Japan International Cooperation Agency]] |quote= Partner Country's Implementing Organization: Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI), College of Micronesia (COM) }}</ref>

The public education in Guam is organized by the [[Guam Department of Education]]. Guam also has several educational institutions, such as [[University of Guam]], [[Pacific Islands University]] and [[Guam Community College]], There is also the [[Guam Public Library System]] and the [[Umatac Outdoor Library]].

[[Weriyeng]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Gladwin|first=Thomas|title=East Is a Big Bird|year=1970|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-674-22425-6|pages=200}}</ref> is one of the last two schools of traditional [[navigation]] found in the central [[Caroline Islands]] in Micronesia, the other being [[Fanur]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Woodward|first=David|title=History of Cartography|year=1998|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=0-226-90728-7|url=http://books.google.com/?id=k_NoubO0RiYC&pg=PA470&lpg=PA470&dq=%22Fanur%22+navigation#v=onepage&q=%22Fanur%22%20navigation&f=false|accessdate=2010-08-04|page=470}}</ref>

The [[Northern Marianas College]] is a two-year [[community college]] located in the [[United States]] [[Northern Mariana Islands|Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]] ([[CNMI]]).

The [[College of the Marshall Islands]] is a community college in the Marshall Islands.

===Law===

''Understanding Law in Micronesia'' notes that The Federated States of Micronesia's laws and legal institutions are "uninterestingly similar to [those of Western countries]". However, it explains that "law in Micronesia is an extraordinary flux and flow of contrasting thought and meaning, inside and outside the legal system". It says that a knee-jerk reaction would be that law is messed up in the region and that improvement is required, but argues that the faliure is "one endemic to the nature of law or to the ideological views we hold about law".

<ref>{{cite book|last=Tamanaha|first=Brian Z.|title=Understanding Law in Micronesia: An Interpretive Approach to Transplanted Law|pages=1–2|url=http://books.google.com/?id=LPA9LCS9-RIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9004097686|year=1993}}</ref>

The Federated States of Micronesia adopted many US legal codes during the Law and Development movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were implemented by the Trust Territory Administration.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tamanaha|first=Brian Z.|title=Understanding Law in Micronesia: An Interpretive Approach to Transplanted Law|pages=2|url=http://books.google.com/?id=LPA9LCS9-RIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22micronesia%22#v=onepage&q=%22micronesia%22&f=false|isbn=9004097686|year=1993}}</ref>

===Media===

===Music and dance===

Micronesian music is influential to those living in the Micronesian islands.<ref name="Garland">{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ulLJUDmptFMC&pg=PA697 | title=The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 1 | publisher=Routledge | author=Garland Encyclopedia of World Music | year=2013 | pages=697-706 | isbn=1136095705}}</ref> Some of the music is based around [[mythology]] and ancient Micronesian [[ritual]]s. It covers a range of styles from traditional songs, handed down through generations, to contemporary music.

Traditional beliefs suggest that the music can be presented to people in [[dream]]s and [[altered state of consciousness|trances]], rather than being written by [[composer]]s themselves. Micronesian folk music is, like [[Music of Polynesia|Polynesian music]], primarily vocal-based.

In the Marshall Islands, the ''[[roro]]'' is a kind of traditional [[chant]], usually about ancient legends and performed to give guidance during navigation and strength for mothers in labour. Modern bands have blended the unique songs of each island in the country with modern music. Though [[drums (musical instrument)|drums]] are not generally common in [[Micronesian music]], one-sided hourglass-shaped drums are a major part of Marshallese music.<ref>[http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/arts/music/musicarchive/PacificInfo.html] {{deadlink|date=December 2013}}</ref> There is a traditional Marshallese dance called [[beet (dance)|beet]], which is influenced by Spanish folk dances. In it, men and women side-step in parallel lines. There is a kind of [[stick dance]] performed by the [[Jobwa]], nowadays only for very special occasions.

Popular music, both from Micronesia and from other areas of the world, is played on radio stations in Micronesia.<ref name="Garland"/>

===Sports===

The region is home to the [[Micronesian Games]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201008/2970170.htm?desktop | title=Micronesian Games begin in Palau | publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=August 1, 2010 | accessdate=15 December 2013}}</ref> a quadrennial international multi-sport event involving all Micronesia's countries and territories except Wake Island.

[[Nauru]] has two national sports, [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]] and [[Australian rules football]].<ref>[http://www.ausport.gov.au/international/development/docs/nauru.pdf Pacific Sporting Needs Assessment]</ref> According to 2007 Australian Football League International Census figures, there are around 180 players in the Nauru senior competition and 500 players in the junior competition,<ref>[http://www.afl.com.au/Portals/0/afl_docs/2007_International_Census_Sheet_240807.pdf AFL International Census 2007]</ref> representing an overall participation rate of over 30% for the country.

==Religion and mythology==

[[Micronesian mythology]] refers to the traditional belief systems of the people of Micronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has its own [[mythological creature|mythological beings]].

There are several significant figures and myths in the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauran and Kiribati traditions.

* [[Flags of Oceania]]

{{portalbar|Micronesia|Oceania|Geography}}

===Notes===

{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===

*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Kirch|first=Patrick Vinton|title=On the Road of the Winds: An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands Before European Contact|year=2001|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-92896-1}}

*{{cite book|ref=harv|last1=Lal|first1=Brij V.|last2=Fortune|first2=Kate|title=The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia|year=2000|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2265-1}}

*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Rainbird|first=Paul|title=The Archaeology of Micronesia|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-65630-6}}

* {{cite book | last = Kirch | first = Patrick Vinton | title=On the Road of the Winds. An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands before European Contact | publisher=University of California Press | year=2000 | isbn=0-520-22347-0 | pages = 166–167 | url=http://books.google.com/?id=qQ0ApgIOPtEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=On+the+Road+of+the+Winds.+An+Archaeological+History+of+the+Pacific+Islands+before+European+Contact. }}

* Goetzfridt, Nicholas J. and Karen M. Peacock (2002). [http://books.google.com/books?id=oqqdbU0tBvAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Micronesian+Histories:+An+Analytical+Bibliography+and+Guide+to+Interpretations&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KgloUbO7MYSLjALnpYHwBw&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA ''Micronesian Histories: An Analytical Bibliography and Guide to Interpretations'']. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313291039

{{Sister links|Micronesia}}

* [http://www.visit-fsm.org/visitors/history.html History of Micronesia] {{deadlink|date=December 2013}}

* [http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/micg.htm Micronesian Games] {{deadlink|date=December 2013}}