Micronesia, Federated States of Geography Profile 2009

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