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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

Micronesia Quickstats

  • Population: 107,862 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 702 sq km
  • Density:
  • GDP (total):
  • GDP (per capita):
  • Literacy: 89%

Languages of Micronesia

  • English
  • Trukese
  • Pohnpeian
  • Yapese
  • Kosrean

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