About the outer islands
The outer islands are small remote islands in the Pacific island nation of Micronesia. If you haven’t heard of Micronesia, you’re not alone. The Federated States of Micronesia (commonly known as Micronesia or FSM) is a nation that is not readily known or seen on maps. With a population of only about 108,000 (est. 2005) these small (Micro) islands (Greek root – nesia) located in the North Pacific Ocean are represented as dots on most world maps. They are located about 3,200 mi (5,150 km) west-southwest of Hawaii, in the north Pacific Ocean, East of the Philippines. The closest better known Pacific islands include Guam (U.S. Territory), Palau (site of the television series Survivor), Samoa (down in the South Pacific), and obviously the Hawaiian islands (up North).
Comprised of the states of Chuuk (formerly Truk), Yap, Pohnpei (formerly Ponape), and Kosrae (formerly Kusaie), the Micronesian islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low coral atolls, with volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk. The nation is spread up over the Pacific ocean from the equator to 14 degrees North latitude and 136 and 166 East longitude. Total area: 271 sq mi (702 sq km). Land area, same (includes islands of Pohnpei, Yap, Chuuk, and Kosrae).
Most states in the FSM are comprised of tiny coral islands scattered hundreds and thousands of miles from the main commercial centers where hospitals, airports, libraries, and other resources are available. Their remote locations make it difficult for the people to access basic health care and quality education. They have have very little contact with the outside world except for the occasional government-run boat that comes twice a year. A select few of the outer islands have a small airfield built by the government to support those groups of islands. The largest number of these outer islands are located in the State of Chuuk.
The Outer Islands Partnership was founded to bridge the needs of these islands to the outside world. >>Read more