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Flag of Pohnpei
Flag of Pohnpei
Kolonia Town looking down from Sokehs Ridge
Kolonia Town looking down from Sokehs Ridge
Detailed map of Pohnpei
Detailed map of Pohnpei
Map of Pohnpei Island
Map of Pohnpei Island
District center of Pohnpei Circa 1980
District center of Pohnpei Circa 1980
Pohnpei International Airport Runway and Pohnpei Seaport Viewed from Sokehs Ridge
Pohnpei International Airport Runway and Pohnpei Seaport Viewed from Sokehs Ridge
Senyavin Islands (Pohnpei plus two neighboring atolls)
Senyavin Islands (Pohnpei plus two neighboring atolls)
World Class Surf of Pohnpei's Palikir Pass a.k.a. P-Pass
World Class Surf of Pohnpei's Palikir Pass a. Pohnpei International Airport is an Airport located on Pohnpei (formerly Ponape the main island of the State of Pohnpei and the capital of the Federated k. a. P-Pass

Pohnpei "upon (pohn) a holy altar (pei)" (formerly known as Ponape) is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and among the Senyavin Islands (part of the larger Caroline Islands group). Many countries are made up of a number of subnational entities called states (or related terms in languages other than English The Federated States of Micronesia is an Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. The Senyavin Islands belong to the Federated States of Micronesia. The Caroline Islands form a large Archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. Palikir, the FSM's capital, is located on Pohnpei. Palikir (ˈpælɪkɚ is the Capital of the Federated States of Micronesia since 1989, when it replaced Kolonia. Pohnpei International Airport (IATA code PNI) is located near Kolonia, on a small island off the northern coast of the main island. Pohnpei International Airport is an Airport located on Pohnpei (formerly Ponape the main island of the State of Pohnpei and the capital of the Federated An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many Pohnpei International Airport is an Airport located on Pohnpei (formerly Ponape the main island of the State of Pohnpei and the capital of the Federated

Pohnpei island is the largest, highest, most populated, and most developed single island in the FSM. The islanders of Pohnpei have a reputation as being the most welcoming of outsiders among residents of the island group, and the island contains a wealth of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth.

Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations.

Ethnographer Martha Ward's most recent work on the Pohnpeians and their culture is the 1989 test Nest in the Wind. A second edition discusses modern Pohnpeian culture and the changes that occurred on Pohnpei in the 30 years between Ward's visits.

Contents

Geography

The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent, sovereign nation made up of Pohnpei and three other states; Chuuk, Kosrae, and Yap. Chuuk &mdash formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus &mdash is an island group in the south western Kosrae (koʊˈʃaɪ /koʊʃˈraɪ/ or /koʊsˈraɪ/ in English) formerly known as Kusaie, is an island in Micronesia and is by itself one of four Yap, also known as Wa'ab for locals is an Island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Together, the FSM comprises approximately 607 small islands in the Western Pacific spread over almost 1,700 miles (2,700 km) from east to west just above the equator some 2,500 miles (4,000 km) southwest of Hawaii and about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) north of eastern Australia, above Papua New Guinea.

On the globe, Pohnpei can be found due north of Australia's East coast slightly above the equator.

While the FSM's total land area is quite small and amounts to approximately 270 square miles (700 km²), it occupies more than one million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. It ranges from Kosrae farthest to the east, then to Pohnpei, Chuuk, and finally to Yap farthest to the west. Each of the four States is centered around one or more main high islands, and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls.

At over 2,500 feet (760 m), Pohnpei's tallest peaks are lush and verdant towering above a gentle talus slope at lower elevations around its 80-mile (130 km) circumference.

The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), but formed its own constitutional government on May 10, 1979. Other neighboring island entities, and also members of the TTPI, formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (ROP). The FSM is an independent, sovereign nation with a seat in the United Nations.

The population of Pohnpei is approximately 34,000. Pohnpei is more ethnically diverse than any other island in the FSM. This is largely due to it being home to the capitol of the national government, which employs hundreds of people from the other FSM States having distinct ethnic and cultural origins. The indigenous makeup also includes people from the outer islands within the State, which comprise multiple regional ethnicities.

The majority of the population consider themselves ethnic Pohnpeian but from more than a century of foreign occupation Pohnpei is truly the FSM's melting pot, a veritable hodge-podge mix of Austral-Asian Pacific Islanders and Japanese, German, Spanish, Chamorro, Pilipino, American, Australian and other Western European people. Pohnpeian or Ponapean is a Micronesian language of the Ponapeic-Trukic subfamily.

Biodiversity

Pohnpei is home to several bird species including four endemic species, the Pohnpei Lorikeet, the Pohnpei Fantail, the Pohnpei Flycatcher and the Long-billed White-eye. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere UserPolbot. --> The Pohnpei Lorikeet ( Trichoglossus rubiginosus) is a species of Parrot in the The Pohnpei Fantail ( Rhipidura kubaryi) is a Fantail which is endemic to the Pacific island of Pohnpei in the Federated UserPolbot. -->The Pohnpei Flycatcher ( Myiagra pluto) is a species of Bird in the Monarchidae UserPolbot. -->The Long-billed White-eye ( Rukia longirostra) is a species of Bird in the Zosteropidae A fifth endemic, the Pohnpei Starling, is thought to have recently gone extinct. The Pohnpei Starling ( Aplonis pelzelni) also known as Pohnpei Mountain Starling or Ponape Mountain Starling, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct bird In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa.

History

The offshore city of Nan Madol was built here, which was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about AD 1500. Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei (presently one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia) and used The first organized government of Pohnpei was the Saudeleur (literally meaning "Lord of the immediate area" Dynasty which ruled from around 500 to 1450 AD

Pohnpei was first sighted by Europeans in 1828 by the Russian navigator Fyodor Litke. Count Fyodor Petrovich Litke ( Граф Фёдор Петро́вич Ли́тке) From the mid 1800s to early 1900s, whalers, missionaries, the Spanish and Germans came to/took over the island. The Sokehs Rebellion startet on October 18, 1910. The island was a Japanese territory in World War II, Japan having acquired Pohnpei along with the rest of the Carolines, the Marshalls, and the Marianas (less American-owned Guam) as war reparations from Germany. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Caroline Islands form a large Archipelago of widely scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Guinea. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated War reparations refer to the monetary compensation intended to cover damage or injury during a war Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. However, the island was one of those bypassed by the US Navy during the island-hopping amphibious campaigns of 1943-1945. Island hopping is a term that has several different definitions as it is applied in various fields The military facilities were shelled on several occasions, including by the battleships USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and Iowa (BB-61), as well as being attacked by the aircraft of Cowpens (CVL-25). A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were World War II service Atlantic operations After shakedown Massachusetts departed Casco Bay in Portland Maine 24 October 1942 and four days later Construction See also Iowa class battleship, Armament of the Iowa class battleship Iowa was the lead ship of her class of " Description Cowpens (named for the Battle of Cowpens of the Revolutionary War, like her contemporaries,, and) was launched 17 January In 1945, when the Japanese lost the war, all Japanese citizens were forced off the island. Many of their Pohnpeian families remained.

The Federated States of Micronesia achieved independence in 1986.

With its spectacular and relatively unspoiled coral reefs, Pohnpei has long had a following among deep-sea fishermen and SCUBA enthusiasts. But it was not until recently that Pohnpei was thrust into the international surfing limelight.

Pohnpei is host to Palikir Pass, a reef pass often referred to by the surf industry as "P-Pass". Located in Sokehs Municipality and situated in the Northwest quadrant of the island's protective barrier reef, it was long known as an underground destination among surfing purists. Pohnpei was first mentioned by name in a 1986 edition of "Surfer" magazine and was later featured in the magazine's "Surf Report" publication from February 1998.

Palikir Pass was the site of the Innaugural Hobgood Challenge [IHC] surfing competition in 2007. The IHC was the first ever professional surfing competition in Pohnpei or the FSM. It was sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals [ASP] as a junior men's event but they declined to acknowledge the location.

It has long since been a tucked away tropical haven under indirect U. S. control.

Nearby islands

Government and Politics

Municipalities

References

Pohnpei in fiction

Pohnpei plays a central role in the fictional Cthulhu Mythos, in which it is only about ten days journey by fast ship from the fictional island of R'lyeh, the place where the fictional character Cthulhu currently resides. Oroluk Atoll is an Atoll belonging to Pohnpei State in the Micronesia. Kapingamarangi is an Atoll and a Municipality in the state of Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia. Kolonia is a coastal town in Nett municipality and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Nett is a municipality of the Federated States of Micronesia in the state of Pohnpei. Kolonia is a coastal town in Nett municipality and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Nukuoro is an Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a Municipality of the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia Pingelap is an Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, part of Pohnpei state of the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of three islands Pingelap The Cthulhu Mythos is a Shared universe created in the 1920s by American horror writer H R'lyeh is a Fictional city that first appeared in the story " The Call of Cthulhu," by H Cthulhu is a giant fictional creature one of the Great Old Ones in H Several stories by H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth and others use this island as a setting or contain references to it. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy August William Derleth ( February 24 1909 &ndash July 4 1971) was an American writer and anthologist

Pohnpei's role in the Mythos was inspired by the ruins of Nan Madol (see above), which had already been used as the setting for a lost race story by Abraham Merritt, The Moon Pool, in which the islands are called Nan-Tauach. Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei (presently one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia) and used Abraham Merritt ( January 20, 1884 &ndash August 21, 1943) who published under the byline A The Moon Pool is a Fantasy Novel by Abraham Merritt. Although Merritt did not invent the lost world novel following in the footsteps Some people believe Nan Madol to be connected to the lost continent of Lemuria. Lost lands are Continents, Islands or other regions believed by some to have existed during Prehistory, but to have since disappeared as a result of Lemuria (lɨˈmjʊəriə is the name of a hypothetical " lost land " variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Pohnpei and the ruins of Nan Madol also play a central role in author James Rollins' book, Deep Fathom. Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei (presently one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia) and used James Rollins and James Clemens are two of the Pen names of American Veterinarian Jim Czajkowski (born 1961 author of bestselling Deep Fathom is a novel by James Rollins. Ex-Navy SEAL Jack Kirkland surfaces from an aborted underwater salvage mission to find the earth burning

Books

See also

Nan Madol

References

External links

Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei (presently one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia) and used
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