Federated States of Micronesia

• tropical;
• heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands;
• located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

highest point:

Nanlaud on Pohnpei 782 m

lowest point:

Pacific Ocean 0 m

• the majority of the populaton 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

noun:

Micronesian(s)

adjective:

Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese

total:

28.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

27.3 years

female:

29.1 years

• the majority of the populaton 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

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.)

total:

20.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

23.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

17.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

75 years (2024 est.)

male:

72.9 years

female:

77.2 years

improved:

total: 78.6% of population

unimproved:

total: 21.4% of population (2017 est.)

total:

1.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.92 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• overfishing;
• sea level rise due to climate change threatens land;
• water pollution, toxic pollution from mining;
• solid waste disposal

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• tropical;
• heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands;
• located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

urban population:

23.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

7.79 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.14 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.02 megatons (2020 est.)

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 term "Micronesia" is a 19th-century construct of two Greek words, "micro" (small) and "nesoi" (islands), and refers to thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean

name:

Palikir

geographic coordinates:

6 55 N, 158 09 E

time difference:

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note:

Micronesia has two time zones

note: Palikir became the new capital of the country in 1989, three years after independence; Kolonia, the former capital, remains the site for many foreign embassies; it also serves as the Pohnpei state capital

history:

drafted June 1975, ratified 1 October 1978, entered into force 10 May 1979

amendments:

• 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;
• amended 1990;
• note – at least every 10 years as part of a general or special election, voters are asked whether to hold a constitution convention;
• a majority of affirmative votes is required to proceed;
• amended many times, last in 2019 (approval by referendum to hold a constitutional convention)

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

chief of state:

President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023)

head of government:

President Wesley W. SIMINA (since 12 May 2023)

cabinet:

Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the 8 executive departments

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president indirectly elected by Congress from among the 4 'at large' senators for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 12 May 2023 (next to be held in 2027)

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

description:

unicameral Congress (14 seats; 10 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 2-year terms and 4 at- large members directly elected from each of the 4 states by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 7 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2025)

election results:

• percent of vote - NA;
• seats by party - independent 14;
• composition - men 11, women 2;
• percentage women 15.4%

highest court(s):

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jackson T. SORAM (since 27 February 2024)

chancery:

1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 223-4383

FAX:

[1] (202) 223-4391

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://fsmembassy.fm/

consulate(s) general:

Honolulu, Portland (OR), Tamuning (Guam)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jennifer JOHNSON (since 13 September 2023)

embassy:

1286 US Embassy Place, Kolonia, Pohnpei, FM 96941

mailing address:

4120 Kolonia Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-4120

telephone:

[691] 320-2187

FAX:

[691] 320-2186

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://fm.usembassy.gov/

• light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered;
• the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern;
• blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, the stars represent the four island groups of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Nan Madol: Ceremonial Center of Eastern Micronesia

• 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

agriculture:

22.5% (2023 est.)

industry:

4.9% (2023 est.)

services:

66.8% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

18.9% (2014)

male:

10.4%

female:

29.9%

general assessment:

• Australia, Japan, and the United States are committed to working in partnership with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, and Nauru to improve internet connectivity to these three Pacific nations by providing funding to build a new undersea cable;
• the proposed undersea cable will provide faster, higher quality, and more reliable and secure communications to approximately 100,000 people across three countries;
• this will support increased economic growth, drive development opportunities, and help to improve living standards as the region recovers from the severe impacts of COVID-19;
• the new cable will connect Kosrae (FSM), Nauru, and Tarawa (Kiribati) with the existing HANTRU-1 cable at Pohnpei (FSM), providing internet connectivity through a submarine cable for the first time (2021)

domestic:

fixed line teledensity roughly 6 per 100 and mobile-cellular nearly 19 per 100 (2021)

international:

• country code - 691;
• landing points for the Chuukk-Pohnpei Cable and HANTRU-1 submarine cable system linking the Federated States of Micronesia and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

• no TV broadcast stations;
• each state has a multi-channel cable service with TV transmissions carrying roughly 95% imported programming and 5% local programming;
• about a half-dozen radio stations (2009)

total ports:

4 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

1

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

3

key ports:

Colonia, Lele Harbor, Moen, Pohnpei Harbor

• no military forces;
• Federated States of Micronesia National Police (includes a maritime wing);
• the Department of Justice oversees the National Police;
• State police forces are responsible for law enforcement in their respective states and are under the jurisdiction of each state’s director of public safety (2024)