MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 702 km2; land area: 702 km2; includes Pohnpei, Truk,
Yap, and Kosrae
Comparative area: slightly less than four times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 6,112 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the
eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with
occasional severe
damage
Terrain: islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to
low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
Ethnic divisions: nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups
Religion: predominantly Christian, divided between Roman Catholic
and Protestant; other churches include Assembly of God, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter Day Saints, and the Baha'i
Faith
Language: English is the official and common language; most
indigenous languages fall within the Austronesian language family, the
exceptions are the Polynesian languages; major indigenous languages are
Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, and Kosrean
Literacy: 90% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1980)
Labor force: NA; two-thirds are government employees; 45,000 people
are between the ages of 15 and 65
Organized labor: NA
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Federated States of Micronesia (no short-form name)
Type: constitutional government in free association with the US;
the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986
Capital: Kolonia (on the island of Pohnpei); note--a new capital is
being built about 10 km southwest in the Palikir valley
Independence: 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN
Trusteeship; formerly the Kosrae, Pohnpei, Truk, and Yap districts of the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Constitution: 10 May 1979
Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
National holiday: Proclamation of the Federated States of
Micronesia, 10 May (1979)
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Bailey OLTER
(since 11 May 1991); Vice President Jacob NENA (since 11 May 1991)
Political parties and leaders: no formal parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 5 March 1991 (next to be held March 1994);
results--Vice President Bailey OLTER elected president;
Congress--last held on 5 March 1991 (next to be
held March 1993);
results--percent of vote NA;
seats--(14 total)
Communists: none
Member of: ESCAP (associate), ICAO, SPC, SPF, UN
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jesse B. MAREHALAU;
Embassy at 706 G Street SE, Washington DC 20003; telephone (202)
544-2640;
US--Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL; Embassy at address NA, Kolonia
(mailing address is P. O. Box 1286, Pohnpei, Federated States of
Micronesia 96941); telephone 691-320-2187
Flag: light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the
stars are arranged in a diamond pattern
ECONOMY
Overview: Financial assistance from the US is the primary source
of revenue, with the US pledged to spend $1 billion in the islands in the
1990s; also in December 1990 the US authorized the use of disaster
relief funds for Micronesia because of damage from Typhoon Russ.
In addition Micronesia earns about $4 million a year in fees from foreign
commercial fishing concerns. Economic activity consists primarily of
subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits
worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a
tourist industry exists, but the remoteness of the location and a lack of
adequate facilities hinder development.
GNP: $150 million, per capita $1,500; real growth rate NA%
(1989 est.); note--GNP numbers reflect US spending
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 80% (1988)
Budget: revenues $110.8 million; expenditures NA, including
capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.)
Exports: $1.6 million (f.o.b., 1983);
commodities--copra;
partners--NA
Imports: $48.9 million (c.i.f., 1983);
commodities--NA;
partners--NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 18,000 kW capacity; 40 million kWh produced,
380 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearl
Agriculture: mainly a subsistence economy; copra, black pepper;
tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava, sweet potatoes, pigs,
chickens
Economic aid: under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the
US will provide $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001
Currency: US currency is used
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 39 km of paved macadam and concrete roads on major
islands, otherwise 187 km stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads
Ports: Colonia (Yap), Truk (Kosrae), Okat (Kosrae)
Airports: 11 total, 10 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439
Telecommunications: 16,000 radio receivers, 1,125 TV sets (est.
1987); telephone network--960 telephone lines at both Kolonia and Truk;
islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for government
purposes); stations--5 AM, 1 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 4 Pacific Ocean
INTELSAT earth stations
DEFENSE FORCES
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
