Activities include a stone money ceremony, canoe building and traditional dancing such as the men’s standing dance and a stick dance. Every year on the island of Yap, the Homecoming Festival or ‘The Taste of Yap’ is celebrated. Known as rai, the stones have been used as a form of currency for centuries even though many of the stones are too heavy to moveĢ3. The Micronesian island of Yap has hundreds of giant discs of rocks dispersed across it. In 2017 a report ranked Micronesia as the world’s 10th most obese nation.Ģ2. Micronesia, like many Pacific island nations, has one of the fattest populations in the world. The crabs have a leg span of nearly one meter and can crush coconuts with their pincers.Ģ1. The tiny Micronesian island of Mogmog is home to the largest terrestrial arthropods (crabs) in the world. – Source: Britannica Micronesia’s flag (Shutterstock)Ģ0. Micronesia’s flag is made up of of white stars representing the four states, centred on a blue background which represents the Pacific Ocean. Micronesia consists of four island states: Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape) and Yap.ġ9. But on Pingelap atoll in Micronesia, one in 10 people are afflicted.ġ8. Worldwide, only one in every 30,000 people have achromatopsia (colour blindness). Micronesia is home to the most colour-blind place on Earth. It began in 1952 and continues to this day.ġ7. Operation Christmas Drop is an annual military training operation that airlifts Christmas gifts and humanitarian aid to Micronesia. Micronesia is home to the longest-running humanitarian airlift in the world. – Source: UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)ġ6. It only receives around 30,000 tourists a year. Micronesia is one of the least visited countries in the world. – Source: UNESCO The artificial islands of Nan Madol (Shutterstock)ġ5. The site consists of at least 100 small artificial islands which hold remains of stone palaces, temples, tombs and houses. The country’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nan Madol is an ancient city that was constructed in a lagoon between 12. Micronesia is home to the only ancient city ever built on a coral reef. Micronesia occupies just a small landmass of 702 sq km, but the country is dispersed across an ocean expanse of nearly 3 million sq km – an area approximately five times the size of France.ġ4. In return, the USA can maintain military bases in Micronesia.ġ3. Instead, as a former US-administered territory, the USA provides aid and is responsible for Micronesia’s defence. Micronesia is one of just 22 countries not to have an army.ġ2. From 1947 to 1986, Micronesia was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), a United Nations trust territory administered by the USA.ġ1. – Source: The Guardian A shipwreck in Micronesia (Shutterstock)ġ0. The wreck of USS Mississinewa, an American oil tanker sunk in the atoll by a Japanese torpedo in 1944, was disturbed by the storm and began to leak the aviation fuel that it had been transporting. In 2004, a Second World War shipwreck resurfaced in Micronesia following a typhoon. In Truk Lagoon in Micronesia, there are over 60 shipwrecks of Japanese warships destroyed by American forces in 1944.ĩ. In 1944, Operation Hailstone was a massive US Navy air and surface assault in Micronesia, conducted as part of the American offensive against Japan.Ĩ. Micronesia was a major battleground during the Second World War. Japan then occupied the islands from 1914 until 1944.ħ. Micronesia was colonised by Spain in 1886 who then sold the islands to Germany in 1899. – Source: BBC News Micronesia is made up of over 600 islands (Shutterstock)Ħ. The islands were first sighted by Europeans in 1500 by Spanish explorers. It is believed that some islands of Micronesia have been inhabited since before 1000 BCE.ĥ. Note: we refer to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as Micronesia below.Ĥ. However, it is not to be confused with the wider cultural and geographic region of Micronesia which includes more than 2,000 islands including the nations of Palau, the Marshall Islands and Nauru, Kiribati and of course, the Federated States of Micronesia. The Federated States of Micronesia is often abbreviated to Micronesia or the acronym, FSM.ģ. The Federated States of Micronesia is an island nation made up of over 600 islands located in Oceania.Ģ. – Source: CIA World Fact Book Interesting facts about Micronesiaġ. Major languages: English, Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese Official name: Federated States of Micronesia Interesting facts about Micronesia include its unusual giant stone currency (Shutterstock) Fast facts
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