Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It's not to be confused with the far smaller Colonia, the capital of the State of Yap. It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. It has 6,074 people.
Kolonia Town is located in the north central section of Pohnpei Island. It was formerly part of Nett municipality but has been a separate municipality since May 1965. The population of the town was 6,074 (2010 Census). [1] It is the largest population center on Pohnpei and the commercial hub of the island. The land area of Kolonia amounts to 1.5 km2, with a large number of buildings lying just outside the town limits. The official languages are Pohnpeian and English. Mercedarian Missionaries speak Spanish.
Kolonia's history is deeply marked by Pohnpei's multiple foreign occupiers, and evidence of their former presence is found throughout the town and island. Traditionally, Pohnpei's power center was in Madolenihmw, on the southeastern part of the island. The area now known as Kolonia was called Mesenieng, which means "face of the wind" or "headwind." Spain first built the town in 1887 as an administrative and military capital and named it Santiago de la Ascensión. A fort, from which ruins known as the Spanish Wall remain, was built to protect the colonial government and garrison.
In 1899, as a consequence of the Spanish–American War, Germany purchased Pohnpei from Spain along with the rest of the Caroline Islands and established district offices in Kolonia. Roads and wharves were built and buildings erected (a church bell tower and cemetery [2] remain), but the town stayed relatively small as few German or other foreign settlers arrived to live on the island. Kolonia and northern Pohnpei were devastated by a typhoon in 1905.
Japan occupied Pohnpei in the first weeks of World War I as well as other German islands north of the equator. Unlike previous occupiers, the Japanese brought thousands of settlers to Micronesia, who outnumbered the indigenous population on some islands. These settlers, most of whom were Okinawans, vastly expanded the infrastructure in addition to establishing settlements elsewhere on Pohnpei. Visitors to Kolonia in the 1930s reported that they were able to walk the length of Namiki Street (now Kaselelhie Street) under shopkeepers' canopies without getting wet in the rain.
During World War II, much of Kolonia was destroyed as some 118 tons of American bombs, 600 incendiaries and naval artillery targeted the town and island installations. Pohnpei was bypassed during the amphibious island hopping campaigns, but rusting wrecks of Japanese military equipment, downed airplanes and bunkers are still visible throughout the island. The town was rebuilt and expanded during the US Navy and later the US Department of the Interior administrations. The Federated States of Micronesia Constitutional Referendum and the Compact of Free Association led to independence in 1986.
Today, construction in various parts of town continues and all of Kolonia's primary and secondary streets are paved and street signs erected. Kolonia Town boasts Pohnpei State government offices, public and private schools, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, hotels and houses of worship of various religious denominations. [3]
Pohnpei International Airport (IATA code: PNI) is located on the small island Deketik and is connected to Kolonia via the Deketik causeway.
The United States, Australia, China and Japan maintain embassies in Kolonia, although the Federation's capital is now at Palikir. A number of foreign volunteer groups operate in Kolonia, including the Peace Corps, the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV or JICA), WorldTeach, the Red Cross, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Spanish Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP), and Pacific Missionary Aviation (PMA).
The Catholic Belltower built by the Germans/Spanish in 1909, the German Cemetery founded in 1910, the Spanish Wall dating from 1887 and the Japanese Shrine built in 1921 are worth a visit in Kolonia itself. The famous archaeological site Nan Madol is in the southeast of the island.
| Climate data for Kolonia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (85) | 29 (85) | 29 (85) | 29 (85) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 29 (85) | 29 (84) | 29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 26 (78) | 26 (78) | 26 (79) | 26 (78) | 26 (78) | 25 (77) | 24 (76) | 24 (76) | 24 (76) | 24 (76) | 25 (77) | 26 (78) | 25 (77) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 300 (11.9) | 260 (10.3) | 350 (13.9) | 450 (17.8) | 500 (19.7) | 430 (17.1) | 450 (17.6) | 420 (16.5) | 400 (15.8) | 420 (16.5) | 410 (16.3) | 430 (17) | 4,840 (190.7) |
| Source: Weatherbase [4] | |||||||||||||
Pohnpei State Department of Education operates public schools:
Private schools:
Lidorkini Museum was located in Kolonia until its closure in 2012. [8]
The Federated States of Micronesia, or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.
Pohnpei is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Major population centers on Pohnpei include Palikir, the FSM's capital, and Kolonia, the capital of Pohnpei State. Pohnpei is the largest island in the FSM, with an area of 334 km2 (129 sq mi), and a highest point of 782 m (2,566 ft), the most populous with 36,832 people, and the most developed single island in the FSM.
Palikir is the capital city of the Federated States of Micronesia located in the western Pacific Ocean. A town of slightly under 5,000 residents, it is part of the larger Sokehs municipality, which had a population of 6,647 as of 2010, out of the nation's total population of 106,487. It is situated on the northwest side of Pohnpei island, a high volcanic island surrounded by a fringing coral reef. Nearby to the northeast is the island's largest settlement, the coastal town of Kolonia. It was declared the capital of Micronesia in 1989.
Kapingamarangi is an atoll and a municipality in the state of Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is by far the most southerly atoll or island of the country and the Caroline Islands, 300 km (190 mi) south of the next southerly atoll, Nukuoro, and 740 km (460 mi) southwest of the main island of Pohnpei state; it forms a Polynesian outlier.
Nukuoro is an atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a municipality of the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. It is the secondmost southern atoll of the country, after Kapingamarangi. They both are Polynesian outliers. As of 2007, Nukuoro had a population of 372, though several hundred Nukuorans live on Pohnpei. Fishing, animal husbandry, and agriculture are the main occupations. A recent project to farm black pearl oysters has been successful at generating additional income for the island's people.
Pohnpei State is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Its capital is Kolonia. With an area of 346 miles, it is the largest state.
The College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM) is a public community college in the Federated States of Micronesia. It began operation in 1963 as the Micronesian Teacher Education Center.
Nett also written as Net, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia.
The Federated States of Micronesia's National Police is the small national police force of the Federated States of Micronesia and is a division of the FSM Department of Justice.
Kitti, also written as Kiti, is one of the twelve administrative divisions of the Micronesian state of Pohnpei. It is located in the southwest of the island of Pohnpei, to the south of Mount Nanlaud.
Madolenihmw is one of the administrative divisions of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. It is located in the central east of the island, to the east of Mount Nahna Laud and south of Mount Kapwuriso. The coast of Madolenihmw includes a large bay which contains the island of Temwen, famous for its Nan Madol ruins.
Japanese Micronesians, also Nikkei Micronesians or Micronesians of Japanese descent, refers to citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) who are of Japanese descent and are members of the Japanese global diaspora known as the Nikkei (日系).
U, also written Uh, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. U bears the shortest place name in the Federated States of Micronesia, and one of the shortest in the world.
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, or the Raven Islands is a 110-square-kilometer (42 sq mi) atoll in Pohnpei state of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a village and municipality of roughly 430 people on a land area of 1.5 square kilometers (0.58 sq mi).
Mokil, or known to the locals as Mwoakilloa, is one of 6 outer-island municipalities on Mokil Atoll in the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Almost 200 people live on a land area of about 1 square km.
Sokehs is a village and municipality on the main island in the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.
Bailey Olter High School, formerly Pohnpei Island Central School (PICS), and Pacific Islands Central School, is a senior high school in Kolonia, Pohnpei Island, Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. As of 2018 the school, operated by the Pohnpei State Department of Education, has about 1,500 students, making it the state's largest high school. Its service area includes Kolonia, Nett, Sokehs, and U.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Federated States of Micronesia refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The church's first known missionaries arrived on July 5, 1978. As of December 31, 2022, there were 5,966 members in 23 congregations in FSM. The LDS Church has congregations in every state in the FSM.
The electoral districts of the Federated States of Micronesia are the divisions of Micronesian territory made in elections in the Federated States of Micronesia. These subdivisions are called "districts" in elections for the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia. In elections for the State Legislatures of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap, and the State House of Representatives of Chuuk - there are named senatorial regions for their Senate elections. Local government of municipalities in the Federated States of Micronesia is carried out by elected officials chosen by the inhabitants.
