Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines and Indonesia lie to the west.
The name Micronesia derives from the Greek mikros (μικρός), meaning small, and nesos (νῆσος), meaning island. The term was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by Jules Dumont d'Urville.
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The only empire known to have originated in Micronesia was based in Yap. Much of the area was to come under European domination quite early. Guam, the Northern Marianas, and the Caroline Islands (what would later become the FSM and Palau) were colonized early by the Spanish. These island territories were part of the Spanish East Indies and governed from the Spanish Philippines from the early 17th century until 1898. Full European expansion did not come, however, until the early 20th century, when the area would be divided between:
During the First World War, Germany's Pacific island territories were taken from it and became League of Nations Mandates in 1923. Nauru became an Australian mandate, while Germany's other territories in Micronesia were given as a mandate to Japan and were named the South Pacific Mandate. This remained the situation until Japan's defeat in the Second World War, when its mandate became a United Nations Trusteeship ruled by the United States, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Today, most of Micronesia consists of independent states, with the exceptions of Guam and Wake Island, which are U.S. territories, and the Northern Mariana Islands, which form a U.S. Commonwealth.
The people today form many ethnicities, but are all descended from and belong to the Micronesian culture. The Micronesian culture was one of the last native cultures of the region to develop. It developed from a mixture of Melanesians, Filipinos and Polynesians. Because of this mixture of descent, many of the ethnicities of Micronesia feel closer to some groups in Melanesia, Polynesia or the Philippines. A good example of this are the Yapese who are related to Austronesian tribes in the Northern Philippines.
The native languages of the various Micronesian indigenous peoples are classified under the Austronesian language family. Almost all of these languages belong to the Oceanic subgroup of this family; however, two exceptions are noted in Western Micronesia, which belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian subgroup:
This latter subgroup also includes most languages spoken today in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Kirch, 2000: pp. 166-167).
On the eastern edge of the Federated States of Micronesia, the languages Nukuoro and Kapingamarangi represent an extreme westward extension of Polynesian.
The following islands and groups of islands are considered part of Micronesia:
Kiribati Kiribati
Guam and the 
Northern Mariana Islands
Marshall Islands
Palau and the 
Federated States of Micronesia
Nauru
Wake IslandThe region is home to the Micronesian Games, a quadrennial international multi-sport event involving all Micronesia's countries and territories except Wake Island.
In September 2007, journalists in the region founded the Micronesian Media Association.[1]
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For the region of Micronesia, please see Micronesia (disambiguation)
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| Capital | Palikir |
| Government | Constitutional government in free association with the US |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| Area | total: 702 km2 note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae |
| Population | 108,105(July 2006 est.) |
| Language | English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47% |
| Calling Code | +691 |
| Internet TLD | .fm |
| Time Zone | UTC+10 to UTC+11 |
The Federated States of Micronesia [1] is a country in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands that lie just north of the equator about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia, to the north of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and to the south of the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.
There are 4 states:
The remote atoll of Kapingamarangi is the southernmost island group in FSM.
Tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage; Natural hazards : typhoons (June to December).
Islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. On 3 November 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US; economic provisions of the Compact are being renegotiated.
Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.
The major airline that travels to FSM is Continental Airlines, which operates a thrice-weekly "island hopper" flight (CO956 eastbound, CO957 westbound) traveling Honolulu—Majuro—Kwajalein—Kosrae—Pohnpei—Chuuk—Guam and vice versa. The flight is fourteen and a half hours, leaving in the early morning and terminating in the evening, with a stop of about one hour on each island. There are also nonstop flights from various islands to both Honolulu and Guam.
Honolulu is the most direct gateway into the islands from North America. Guam is the most direct gateway from most points in Asia and Australia, although it is also possible to fly into the islands from Manila via Palau.
The major international ports are; Chuuk,Pohnpei and Yap. There are inter-island trading ships based in these major ports which visits the outlying islands.
Even though there are no bus scheduled service on the island, some buses are available to hire or charter. Also, on Yap there is a school bus that runs twice daily from Colonia to the villages.
Taxi service is available throughout the islands and are inexpensive.
There are self-driven cars available in the major towns of the islands. However, It is required to have a National Driver's License or International Driving Permit.
FSM is one of the safest places on earth. there is little violent crime. beware, it is also one of the wettest places on earth, and rains almost everyday.
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From Ancient Greek Μικρονήσος (Mikronesos), “‘small island’”), from prefix μικρο- (mikro-), “‘micro-’”), from μικρός (mikros), “‘small, mimimum’”) + νήσος (nesos), “‘island’”).
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Micronesia
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Wikipedia it
Micronesia f.
Micronesia is an area in Oceania. Many islands in southwest Pacific Ocean are part of it. Micronesia means small islands in ancient Greek language.
Philippines is to the west of Micronesia. Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Melanesia are to the south of Micronesia. Polynesia is to the east of Micronesia.
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| | Moon Handbooks Micronesia - Micronesia travel - Moon Handbooks Micronesia |
 | College of Micronesia - College of Micronesia-FSM |
| | http://www.dankainmicronesia.com/yap.high.school.html - Happiness In Yap Micronesia |
| | http://www.dankainmicronesia.com/maps.html - Happiness In Yap Micronesia |
| | ''I Unibetsedåt Guam'', The University of Guam - University of Guam - Unibetsedat Guahan |
| | Micronesia Facts, Maps and flags - CIA - The World Factbook |
| | The Yap Networker - independent news media on Yap and the Micronesian region - The Yap Networker |
| | On the Road to Walung - Micronesia Grand Tour - Walung |
| | Legends - Micronesia Grand Tour - Legends |
| | Mangrove Forest - Micronesia Grand Tour - Canoeing & Kayaking |
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