Micronesia – from Nan Madol to a nation in free association
The islands of today's Federated States of Micronesia were settled by seafaring peoples thousands of years ago, who developed rich traditions of navigation, clan life and exchange. On Pohnpei the Saudeleur dynasty built the monumental stone city of Nan Madol, one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the Pacific.
European ships reached the Caroline Islands from the sixteenth century, and in the nineteenth century missionaries, traders and whalers arrived. Spain claimed the islands, then sold them to Germany in 1899. After the First World War Japan took control and later administered them under a League of Nations mandate, settling many Japanese colonists. During the Second World War the islands became a battleground; Chuuk Lagoon, with its sunken fleet, still bears witness to this.
From 1947 the United States administered the islands as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The four districts of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae adopted a joint constitution in 1979, and in 1986 a Compact of Free Association with the United States came into force. In 1991 the country joined the United Nations.
Today Micronesia is shaped by the distinct languages and customs of its four states, by life on and with the ocean, and by its close ties to the United States.
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