- Geography of the Federated States of Micronesia
The
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) consists of 607 islands extending 1,800 miles (2,900 km) across the archipelago of theCaroline Islands east of thePhilippines . The four constituent island groups areYap ,Chuuk (called Truk until January 1990),Pohnpei (called Ponape until November 1984), andKosrae . The federal capital isPalikir , on Pohnpei. Separated from the four main island groups are the islands ofNukuoro andKapingamarangi , which geographically and politically are part ofMicronesia , but linguistically and culturally form part ofPolynesia : the languages spoken on these two islands are of the Samoic family ofPolynesian languages .FSM enjoys a tropical climate, with quite even, warm temperatures throughout the year. Rainfall is generally plentiful, and Pohnpei reputedly is one of the wettest places on earth, with up to 330 inches (8.4 m) of rain per year. Nevertheless, drought conditions do occur periodically throughout FSM, especially when the
El Niño condition moves into the Western Pacific, when groundwater supplies can dwindle to emergency proportions. Tropical typhoons are an annual threat, particularly to the low-lying atolls.Location:
Oceania , island group in the northernPacific Ocean , about three-quarters of the way fromHawaii toIndonesia Geographic coordinates : coord|6|55|N|158|15|E|type:countryMap references:Oceania
Area:
"total:"702 km²
"land:"702 km²
"water:"0 km²
"note:"includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Truk (Chuuk) Islands, Yap Islands, and KosraeArea - comparative:four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:6,112 km
Maritime claims:
"exclusive economic zone:"200 nm (370 km)
"territorial sea:"12 nmClimate:tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the
typhoon belt with occasionally severe damageTerrain:islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
Elevation extremes:
"lowest point:"Pacific Ocean 0 m
"highest point:"Totolom 791 m, onPohnpei Natural resources:forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use:
"arable land:"NA%
"permanent crops:"NA%
"permanent pastures:"NA%
"forests and woodland:"NA%
"other:"NA%Irrigated land:NA km²
Natural hazards:typhoons (June to December)
Environment - current issues:overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
"party to:"Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
"signed, but not ratified:"none of the selected agreementsGeography - note:four major island groups totaling 607 islands
ee also
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Federated States of Micronesia
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