Geography of Micronesia
Location: | Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia |
Geographic coordinates: | 6 55 N, 158 15 E |
Map references: | Oceania |
Area: | total: 702 sq km land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie) |
Area - comparative: | four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only) |
Land boundaries: | 0 km |
Coastline: | 6,112 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage |
Terrain: | islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m |
Natural resources: | forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate |
Land use: | arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | NA |
Natural hazards: | typhoons (June to December) |
Environment - current issues: | overfishing, climate change, pollution |
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 agreements |
Geography - note: | four major island groups totaling 607 islands |