- Micronesia, federal States of, federal State of Oceania, situated in the Occidental Pacific, in the North of the equator and the New Guinea. The union of the States of Micronesia understands(includes) the islands of the archipelago of the Caroline Islands (with the exception of Belau. It is constituted by four micro-states: Kosrae (109 km2), Pohnpei (344 km2), Truk (127 km2), Yap (101 km2). Formed by mountainous volcanic islands covered with the rain forest and with coral atolls (low islands where grow coconut palms and breadfruit trees), it spreads out on more than 3 000 km. Official language is English. The capital of the union is Palikir, on the island of Pohnpei.
Economy is essentially a subsistence economy basing on subsistence crops (igname, manioc, taro, coconut) and on fishing. The copra is the only product of export. The States of Micronesia live above all on the international help. The archipelago is lived with Micronesian since about three thousand years. It(he) was discovered(found) by the Spaniards in the middle of XVI-th century. These annexed him(it) in 1885 then sold him(it) in Germany in 1899. Occupied by Japan during First World war, it(he) was placed under Japanese mandate in 1921 by League of Nations. The Americans landed there in 1944. In 1947, United Nations placed islands under American custody. The union of States of Micronesia was created in 1979. It is a parliamentary democracy bound since 1986 in the United States by an agreement of free association. In 1991, it was supposed within the UNO. Total surface: 701 km2!; population (estimation 1993): 107 900 inhabitants.
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