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.
Chuuk State is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Yap State. It consists of several island groups: Namoneas, Faichuuk, the Hall Islands, Namonuito Atoll, Pattiw, and the Mortlock Islands. Chuuk is by far the FSM's most populous state, with 50,000 inhabitants on 120 square kilometers. Chuuk Lagoon is where most people live. Weno island, in the lagoon, is Chuuk's state capital and the country's biggest city. It may hold a referendum on independence in the near future, although this referendum has been repeatedly postponed.
The State of Yap is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the westernmost portion of the country. The state borders Palau to the southwest, Guam to the north, and Chuuk State to the east. According to the state's population census carried out in 2020, the total population is 11,577 residing across a total area of 119.54 sq km, though a large majority of the area is water. The only town area in the state, Colonia, serves as the state capital.
Kosrae International Airport is an airport serving Kosrae, the easternmost state of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is located on an artificial island within the fringing reef about 150 meters from the coast and is connected to the main island by a causeway.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Micronesia may face legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples, as same-sex marriage and civil unions are not recognized. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been illegal since 2018.
Women in the Federated States of Micronesia are women who live in or are from the Federated States of Micronesia, an independent sovereign island nation composed of four states. Thus, FSM women includes women from the States of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
The nationality law of the Federated States of Micronesia determines who is or may become a citizen or national of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Article III of the Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia provides the basis for nationality law, while specific provisions are elaborated in 7 FSMC § 201 et seq.
The Federated States of Micronesia is a United States Associated State consisting of 4 states across the Western Pacific Ocean. The estimated population in 2015 was 105,216. Formerly the FSM was a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) but in 1979 formed its own constitutional government. FSM has a written constitution which took effect in 1979 and has been amended only once in 1990. By virtue of membership in the United Nations, the FSM abides by the UN Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Key human rights concerns in FSM include judicial delays, government corruption, discrimination against women, domestic violence and child neglect.
Island Soldier is a 2017 American documentary film written, directed and produced by former Peace Corps volunteer Nathan Fitch. The film deals with problems faced by United States Military families from Kosrae who are citizens of Federated States of Micronesia. Because of a free association agreement called the Compact of Free Association, they can serve, fight and die for the US in Afghanistan and Iraq but they cannot vote.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the Federated States of Micronesia are fulfilling 94.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. When looking at the right to health with respect to children, the Federated States of Micronesia achieve 97.1% of what is expected based on their current income. In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 91.9% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. The Federated States of Micronesia fall into the "good" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 95.8% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.
Parliamentary elections were held in the Federated States of Micronesia on 5 March 2019, alongside a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention. All 14 seats in Congress were up for election, and all 13 incumbents standing for re-election were returned to Congress.
Constitutional Convention elections were held in the Federated States of Micronesia on 5 November 2019. The elections were held following a referendum in March 2019, in which 61% of voters voted in favour of calling a convention.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Federated States of Micronesia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus has reached the Federated States of Micronesia on 8 January 2021.
Kosrae State Museum is a museum in Tofol in Kosrae State in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Rose Kaumai Mackwelung was an educator and activist on the island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia. She has been described as "the mother of education in Kosrae."
Mary Heine Lanwi is an educator, activist, and promotor of traditional handicrafts in the Marshall Islands. A female pioneer on the islands, she has been described as "perhaps the first Marshallese woman to begin employment outside the home." In 1974, she was the only woman elected to serve as a delegate to the Micronesian Constitutional Convention.
Daniel R. Foley is an American retired attorney and judge, who served on the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals from 2000 to 2016. A civil rights attorney known for his support of legalizing same-sex marriage, Foley was appointed by Governor Ben Cayetano in July 2000 and confirmed in August of that year. Known primarily for representing three couples in Baehr v. Miike, the first American case in which gay couples sued a state for the right to marry, Foley was appointed to the Supreme Court of Palau as an Associate Justice in 2011.
A referendum on nine proposed amendments to the constitution was held in Micronesia on 4 July 2023. Eight of the amendments were proposed by the Constitutional Convention elected in 2019, and one amendment was proposed by Congress. All nine amendments passed, and were officially ratified by President Simina on 4 October 2023.
The Constitution of the State of Yap, one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, is the fundamental legal text of the State of Yap. It was adopted in 1982, promulgated on December 24 of the same year and came into force on January 1, 1983. Amendments were adopted by referendum and promulgated on November 24, 2006. The constitution comprises 15 articles. It can be consulted in English on the website of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia.
The Federated States of Micronesia does not recognise same-sex marriage, civil unions or any other form of recognition for same-sex couples.
