MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF GEOGRAPHY Total area: 702 km2; land area: 702 km2; includes Pohnpei, Truk, Yap, and Kosrae Comparative area: slightly less than four times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 6,112 km Maritime claims: Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasional severe damage Terrain: islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk Natural resources: forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA% Environment: subject to typhoons from June to December; four major island groups totaling 607 islands Note: located 5,150 km west-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Indonesia PEOPLE Population: 107,662 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991) Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 73 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Micronesian(s); adjective--Micronesian; Kosrae(s), Pohnpeian(s), Trukese, Yapese Ethnic divisions: nine ethnic Micronesian and Polynesian groups Religion: predominantly Christian, divided between Roman Catholic and Protestant; other churches include Assembly of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist, Latter Day Saints, and the Baha'i Faith Language: English is the official and common language; most indigenous languages fall within the Austronesian language family, the exceptions are the Polynesian languages; major indigenous languages are Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, and Kosrean Literacy: 90% (male 90%, female 85%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980) Labor force: NA; two-thirds are government employees; 45,000 people are between the ages of 15 and 65 Organized labor: NA GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Federated States of Micronesia (no short-form name) Type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 Capital: Kolonia (on the island of Pohnpei); note--a new capital is being built about 10 km southwest in the Palikir valley Administrative divisions: 4 states; Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap Independence: 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship; formerly the Kosrae, Pohnpei, Truk, and Yap districts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) Constitution: 10 May 1979 Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws National holiday: Proclamation of the Federated States of Micronesia, 10 May (1979) Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Congress Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Bailey OLTER (since 11 May 1991); Vice President Jacob NENA (since 11 May 1991) Political parties and leaders: no formal parties Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 5 March 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results--Vice President Bailey OLTER elected president; Congress--last held on 5 March 1991 (next to be held March 1993); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(14 total) Communists: none Member of: ESCAP (associate), ICAO, SPC, SPF, UN Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jesse B. MAREHALAU; Embassy at 706 G Street SE, Washington DC 20003; telephone (202) 544-2640; US--Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL; Embassy at address NA, Kolonia (mailing address is P. O. Box 1286, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 96941); telephone 691-320-2187 Flag: light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern ECONOMY Overview: Financial assistance from the US is the primary source of revenue, with the US pledged to spend $1 billion in the islands in the 1990s; also in December 1990 the US authorized the use of disaster relief funds for Micronesia because of damage from Typhoon Russ. In addition Micronesia earns about $4 million a year in fees from foreign commercial fishing concerns. Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remoteness of the location and a lack of adequate facilities hinder development. GNP: $150 million, per capita $1,500; real growth rate NA% (1989 est.); note--GNP numbers reflect US spending Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% Unemployment rate: 80% (1988) Budget: revenues $110.8 million; expenditures NA, including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.) Exports: $1.6 million (f.o.b., 1983); commodities--copra; partners--NA Imports: $48.9 million (c.i.f., 1983); commodities--NA; partners--NA External debt: $NA Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 18,000 kW capacity; 40 million kWh produced, 380 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearl Agriculture: mainly a subsistence economy; copra, black pepper; tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, cassava, sweet potatoes, pigs, chickens Economic aid: under terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US will provide $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001 Currency: US currency is used Exchange rates: US currency is used Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 39 km of paved macadam and concrete roads on major islands, otherwise 187 km stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads Ports: Colonia (Yap), Truk (Kosrae), Okat (Kosrae) Airports: 11 total, 10 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 Telecommunications: 16,000 radio receivers, 1,125 TV sets (est. 1987); telephone network--960 telephone lines at both Kolonia and Truk; islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for government purposes); stations--5 AM, 1 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 4 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations DEFENSE FORCES Note: defense is the responsibility of the US