Teach English Abroad > Micronesia Year > Country Info

Country Info


The Federated States of Micronesia, or the FSM, is made up of an archipelago of 607 islands, also known as the Caroline Islands. The FSM extends 1,800 miles east to west between the Marshall Islands and the Philippines and is divided into four island states. They are, from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Each of these states is named after one larger island. Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei also include a variety of outlying atolls, thin ribbons of low land around lagoons, some hundreds of miles from the main island, known collectively as “the outer islands.” Pohnpei is the seat of government of this loosely bound federation of island states, which actually vary greatly in language and culture. WorldTeach volunteers are placed on the main islands of Pohnpei and Kosrae.

Mainland Pohnpei is the largest island in the FSM at 129 square miles. Kosrae is somewhat smaller at 42 square miles. Both are “high islands;” the towering, long-inactive volcanoes that make up these islands are now covered with lush vegetation fed by some of the highest rainfalls on earth. Rainfalls are lower near the coast, where virtually the entire population of these islands lives. Pohnpei’s coastline is fringed with mangroves leading out into a lagoon surrounded by a protective reef. Kosrae is ringed by sand and coral beaches, as well as some mangroves, and a diverse coral reef.

Most people earn their living from subsistence agriculture and fishing, from running small businesses such as food stores, and from government jobs (including school teachers). Fishing rights to the vast ocean area of FSM bring in $20 million annually (in licenses sold to foreign tuna fishing companies), which is about 30% of the country’s domestic income. Tourism is a budding industry, with spectacular scuba diving throughout the FSM.

The Compact of Free Association with the US gives the FSM government and citizens special rights, such as military protection, freedom to live and work in the United States, roughly $92 million a year in “direct assistance”, and tens of millions in government grants. In exchange, the United States retains, among other things, the right to use the islands as military bases should the need arise. The Compact was first entered into in 1986 and was renewed in 2004. The FSM gained independence in 1986; from the end of World War II to that time it was administered by the United States under a mandated United Nations Trusteeship, as were the Marshall Islands and Palau. Between World Wars the region was under Japanese domination, and before that the Germans and Spanish governed it.

Pohnpeian, Kosraean, and Chuukese are the native languages, respectively, of Pohnpei and Kosrae. English is the official language of government and business in the FSM. Elementary school, grades 1 – 8, is compulsory, and all education is nominally in English from 3rd grade onwards, though students' English ability varies greatly. Admittance to public high school is by examination. About one-third of students who take the examination pass and are able to attend the public high schools, which is where most WorldTeach volunteers teach. The high school curriculum is very similar to that of the United States.

Unique Challenges for Micronesia Volunteers

Pohnpei, Kosrae and Chuuk are small islands and gossip is commonplace. Rumors, whether true or not, may spread, both in the local community and among expatriates.

The islands are also very remote. You cannot simply get off the island for a weekend breather by taking a short trip somewhere else. Whereas in most of our programs volunteers can travel to the capital city or another destination for a change of scenery, this is not possible in Micronesia.

There is very little nightlife on Kosrae. There are no nightclubs and there is no city. The pace of life is very slow and often difficult for the volunteers to adjust to.

Web Resources for Micronesia

info@worldteach.org   Telephone: 1-617-495-5527 or 1-800-4-TEACH-0    Fax: 1-617-495-1599
WorldTeach, One Brattle Square, Suite 550, Cambridge MA 02138 USA