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The Federated States of Micronesia -enˌmaɪkroʊˈniːʒəen-us-Micronesia.ogg or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c. 700 square kilometers of area in the Western Pacific Ocean spread over almost 2700 km (1677.7 mi) longitudinally just north of the equator some 4000 km (2485.5 mi) southwest of the main islands of Hawaii and about 2900 km (1802 mi) north of eastern Australia, lying northeast of New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshalls, and east of Palau and the Philippines. While the FSM's total land area is quite small, amounting to approximately 702 km2 (436.2 mi), it occupies more than 2600000 km2 (1003865.6 sqmi) of the Pacific Ocean. The capital is Palikir, located on Pohnpei island, the largest city being Weno, part of Chuuk. Each of its four States is centered around one or more main high islands, and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls. The Federated States of Micronesia is spread across part of the Caroline Islands in the wider region of Micronesia, which consists of thousands of small islands divided between several countries. The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole. The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration, but formed its own constitutional government on May 10, 1979, becoming a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3, 1986 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Other neighboring island entities, and also former members of the TTPI, formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (ROP). The FSM has a seat in the United Nations. |