Federated States of Micronesia

World Factbook as of November 2014: "Economic activity consists of subsistence farming and fishing and government which is funded largely by Compact of Free Association (Compact) assistance provided by the US. The islands have few known mineral deposits worth commercial exploration. The potential for tourism is also limited by isolation, lack of adequate facilities, and limited air and water connections hinder development. Under the terms of the original Compact, the US provided $1.3 billion in grants and aid in 1986-2001. The US and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) negotiated a second (amended) Compact agreement in 2002-2003 that took effect in 2004. The amended Compact runs for a 20-year period to 2024; during which the US will provide roughly $2.1 billion to the FSM. The amended Compact also includes a Trust Fund for the people of the FSM which is to provide an income stream beyond 2024 when Compact grants are to end. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile because of reduced US assistance and lackluster performance of its small and stagnant private sector."

Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births)
2011: 24.34
2005: 30.21

People

Population growth
2011: minus 0.313%. Population stays more or less stable with migration US areas, including Guam and the Hawaiian islands, where many Micronesians are reported to be living in poverty.

Net migration rate
2011: More people leaving than arriving. A net loss of 20.11 persons per 1,000 population.

People

Population
July 2011: 106,836

Living in an urban area:
2010: 23%

Birth and death rates
2011: births 22.22, death 4.35

Net migration rate
2011: More people leaving than arriving. A net loss of 20.11 persons per 1,000 population.

Ethnicities:
2000 census: Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%, Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4%. According to Wikipedia, "A sizeable minority also have some Japanese ancestry, which is a result of intermarriages between Japanese settlers and Micronesians during the Japanese colonial period."

Religions
2000 census: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Congregational 40.1%, Baptist 0.9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 0.7%, other 3.8%, none or unspecified 0.8%

Geography

Approximately 607 islands in the Pacific Ocean just above the equator and east of Palau and south of Guam. Size: 702 square kilometers, equivalent to 26.5 by 26.5 kilometers.

Government

Divided into four states, from west to east: Yap, Chuuk (Truk),Pohnpei (Ponape), Kosrae (Kosaie),

Chief of state: a president, with vice-president elected by Congress for a four-year term and eligible for a second term.

Congress is unicameral with 14 members, one senator from each of the four states, serving four-year terms, and 10 members popularly elected from districts delineated according to population size.

Capital: Palikir, on the island of Ponape.

Recent History

1899: Spain sells the island to Germany.

1914: Taken from the Germans by Japan and taken from Japan by the United States during World War II. Administered by the US under United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

1979: The Federated States of Micronesia adopt a constitution and in 1986 independence is acquired in Free Association with the US.

SOURCES:
The World Factbook