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Information about Micronesia

The term "Micronesia" was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by Jules Dumont d'Urville; before this the term "Polynesia" was in use to generally describe the islands of the Pacific. Politically, Micronesia is divided between eight territories: the Federated States of Micronesia, comprising Kosrae, Yap, Pohnpei, and Chuuk; the Republic of the Marshall Islands; the Republic of Palau; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Republic of Nauru; the Republic of Kiribati; the Territory of Guam and the Territory of Wake Island. Micronesia is the name of a region in the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines lie to the northwest, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia to the west and southwest, and Polynesia to the east. This region of Oceania consists of many hundreds of small islands spread over a large region of the western Pacific. The only empire known to have originated in Micronesia was based in Yap. The Northern Mariana Islands,with fifteen islands, only three Saipan, Tinian and Rota, have a significant population together with Guam to the south. These island compose the Mariana Islands. The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous inhabitants, first populated the island approximately 4,000 years ago Traditional Chamorro culture is visually manifested in dance, sea navigation, unique cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu), songs and fashion influenced by the immigration of peoples from other lands. The Federated States of Micronesia is composed of the island states of Yap, Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei (Ponape), and Kosrae, all in the Caroline Islands. The islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low coral atolls, with volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk. The ancestors of the Micronesians settled over four thousand years ago. A decentralised chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralised economic and religious empire centered on Yap. The island of Yap is notable for its "stone money" (Rai stones), large disks usually of calcite, up to 12 feet (4 m) in diameter, with a hole in the middle. Nan Madol, consisting of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals, is often called the Venice of the Pacific. It is located near the island of Pohnpei and used to be the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty that united Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people from about AD 500 until 1500, when the centralized system collapsed. In 1969, the famous French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and his team explored Truk Lagoon. Following Cousteau’s 1971 television documentary about the lagoon and its ghostly remains, the place became a scuba diving paradise, drawing wreck diving enthusiasts from around the world to see its numerous, virtually intact sunken ships. Scattered mainly around the Dublon, Eten, Fefan and Uman islands within the Truk group, a number of the shipwrecks lie in crystal clear waters less than fifteen meters below the surface. In waters devoid of normal ocean currents The coral encrusted wrecks attract a diverse array of marine life, including manta- rays, turtles, sharks and corals. In 2007, 266 species of reef fish were recorded by an Earthwatch team and in 2006 the rare coral Acropora pichoni was identified. Palau's most populous islands are Angaur, Babeldaob, Koror, and Peleliu. The latter three lie together within the same barrier reef, while Angaur is an oceanic island several miles to the south. Early Palauans may have come from Australia, Polynesia and Asia. Depending on the thread of the family, Palauans may represent many parts of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator.The country consists of 29 atolls and 5 isolated islands. The most important atolls and islands form two groups: the Ratak Chain and the Ralik Chain (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains). The uninhabited atolls are: * Ailinginae Atoll * Bikar (Bikaar) Atoll * Bikini Atoll * Bokak Atoll * Erikub Atoll * Jemo Island * Nadikdik Atoll * Rongerik Atoll * Toke Atoll * Ujelang Atoll A majority of the islands' land mass is at sea level.