2) As part of their ‘Compact of Free Association’ with the US, the US takes responsibility for the defence of the island and has the right to set up military bases and deny other nations access to Micronesia. In return, Micronesia receives $100m in financial aid per year, and Micronesians have the right to live and work in the US.
3) Despite its small population, Micronesia has a high unemployment rate, a problem which is being exacerbated by the number of Filipino migrant workers.
4) Many Micronesians live without electricity or running water, which is in short supply and is sometimes rationed.
5) Micronesia has no daily newspaper, but the government does print a fortnightly newsletter for all citizens.
6) Despite being the largest and most populous island in Micronesia, Pohnpei only has about 10 restaurants.
7) The State of Kosrae is an island which is called ‘the sleeping lady’ because of it’s shape. See for yourself...
8) The Island state of Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on earth, with an average rainfall exceeding 300 inches.
9) Pohnpei is often accused of having a national football team that is “the worst team in the world”, although Pohnpei is not actually a nation.
10) The most noticeable Micronesian athlete is Elias Rodriguez, who ran in the Sydney Olympics. He finished last; the closing ceremony was in fact delayed to allow his finish.
1 comments:
I love the attention on FSM, but I have to clear up some things...
-Guam is the most populous island in geographic Micronesia. Chuuk is the most populous state in FSM (not Pohnpei, though technically Chuuk is a group of islands, not a single landmass).
-There are at least 17 restaurants in Pohnpei - many quite good.
-Kosrae's sleeping lady refers to the shape of a mountain range, not the view of the island from above.
-The newspaper here does run fortnightly, but it's certainly not government-run or sponsored.
Thanks again for the publicity - we love visitors here!
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