Local time--:--:--Palikir ·

Oceania / Micronesia · Card 012

Micronesia

Micronesia is a country in Micronesia. Its capital is Palikir.

Find Micronesia

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Palikir
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: United States dollar (USD)
Population: 113,6832025 · World Bank
Area: 702 km²271.04 square miles
Free association: 1986Compact with the United States; UN trusteeship ended in 1990.

Micronesia in context

Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Palikir; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

The Federated States of Micronesia contains both high volcanic islands and low coral atolls spread across the western Pacific. Its four states cover widely separated island groups. Elevation, rainfall and landforms vary substantially between them.

Pohnpei has a wet mountainous interior and streams descending toward the coast. Yap’s main islands have a different, lower relief, while many outer islands are atolls. These landscapes cannot be represented accurately by one generic tropical beach.

Climate & seasons

The climate is tropical, with abundant rainfall on many islands. High islands and low atolls experience different local conditions, and rainfall is especially heavy in parts of the east.

Island diversity

High islands support forests and surface water, while low islands depend more on limited rainfall storage and groundwater. Reefs and lagoons connect land with surrounding marine habitats. Distance between islands is a major geographic reality.

Flag

Light blue with four five-pointed white stars centered and arranged in a diamond pattern

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

English is the official language at the federal level and helps connect the country’s four states.

Community and regional languages

Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi and other languages are spoken. These distinct languages reflect the country’s widely dispersed islands and community histories.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & status

The islands were governed by Spain, Germany and Japan before becoming part of the US-administered UN trust territory after the Second World War. In 1979, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae formed the Federated States of Micronesia under a federal constitution. The Compact of Free Association with the United States entered into force in 1986; the UN trusteeship formally ended in 1990.

1979
The federal constitution takes effect
1986
The Compact of Free Association enters into force
1990
The UN trusteeship formally ends
1991
The federation joins the United Nations

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Fishing access fees, public services and Compact assistance from the United States support the economy. Subsistence agriculture and coastal fishing remain important, especially outside the main towns. Tourism and small businesses face the challenges of widely scattered islands, limited transport links and high imported energy costs.

Industry and production

Fishing, copra and agricultural production, small-scale tourism and public services.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Thousands of people

113.72025 · thousands of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Thousands of people
1970	58,922	58.922
1980	77,407	77.407
1990	100,888	100.888
2000	112,044	112.044
2010	107,540	107.540
2020	110,916	110.916
2025	113,683	113.683

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

0.342025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	241,563,764	0.242
1991	259,505,476	0.260
1992	269,906,612	0.270
1993	291,878,753	0.292
1994	290,318,622	0.290
1995	310,682,914	0.311
1996	300,309,045	0.300
1997	281,656,558	0.282
1998	289,646,642	0.290
1999	292,916,218	0.293
2000	306,462,262	0.306
2001	312,040,376	0.312
2002	313,423,402	0.313
2003	318,948,292	0.319
2004	308,772,635	0.309
2005	317,243,697	0.317
2006	315,932,773	0.316
2007	310,689,076	0.311
2008	302,823,529	0.303
2009	306,756,303	0.307
2010	312,000,000	0.312
2011	323,798,319	0.324
2012	318,554,622	0.319
2013	306,756,303	0.307
2014	298,890,756	0.299
2015	312,000,000	0.312
2016	315,932,773	0.316
2017	322,487,395	0.322
2018	323,798,319	0.324
2019	335,596,639	0.336
2020	328,693,311	0.329
2021	338,881,815	0.339
2022	328,328,612	0.328
2023	332,041,936	0.332
2024	339,683,314	0.340
2025	343,292,813	0.343

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.615Medium human developmentRank 149 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

20000.596

20100.603

20200.609

20230.615

67.2 yearsLife expectancy at birth

7.3 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A federal republic of four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Congress elects a President from among its members. Each state has its own constitution and government. The federation is sovereign and in free association with the United States under a compact.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Micronesia.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which four states form the Federated States of Micronesia?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.