Short facts about the geography of Micronesia

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 note:  includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Truk (Chuuk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae

Area - comparative:

four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

6,112 km

Maritime claims:

exclusive economic zone:  200 NM territorial sea:  12 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 Truk

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:  Totolom 791 m

Natural resources:

forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals

Land use:

arable land:  NA% permanent crops:  NA% permanent pastures:  NA% forests and woodland:  NA% other:  NA%

Irrigated land:

NA sq km

Natural hazards:

typhoons (June to December)

Environment - current issues:

overfishing

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

Source: World Factbook