Micronesia
About the Country
People

The whole of Micronesia has less than 200,000 people. They are a multi-cultural population of Filipinos, Caucasians, Chinese and native Chamorros, the Chamorros being the largest group.

An ancient sea-faring race, the Chamorros are related to the Polynesians and believed to have arrived in about 2,000 BC from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Today, English is the official language, though Japanese is widely spoken and local dialects are based on Chamorro.

History
The great Spanish sailor Ferdinand Magellan sailed through the Micronesian islands in his world circumnavigation in 1521. He was followed by whalers and Spanish missionaries in the 1600s. Four colonial powers have used them as provision ports on trade routes between continents and at the end of World War 2, the USA took over their administration.  

Nature
The Micronesian islands vary in size, appearance and topography. The inhabited parts vary from villages with no cars or electricity, to the sophisticated resorts of Guam and Saipan. 

The Marianas Trench, the world's greatest ocean depth, indirectly makes Guam the highest point on earth and the volcanic cones of the Northern Marianas resemble no other Pacific island.

Saipan has towering, shell-pocked cliffs and scores of limestone caves, Rota is known for its rocky, crashing shoreline and Tinian has a lush, range-land interior, fringed with sandy beaches. Yap is flat and unspoiled, while Kosrae is a mountainous friendly backwater. Birds of all kinds abound, as do all sorts of tropical fish, turtles and dugongs.  

The islands each have their own special natural attractions which beckon the visitor. All offer sandy beaches, spectacular coral reefs, underwater sightseeing and teeming marine life. See individual sections for more detail.

Accommodation & Transport
Each island differs in accommodation from native style thatch cottages to hotels and resorts. The more developed islands such as Guam and Palau have international hotels, while in contrast Rota has simply a little hotel on the beach, although a resort is scheduled for completion this year.  

In the Marshall Islands guest accommodation on some of the outer islands is in traditional thatched huts with few amenities.  

All the islands have limited transport in the form of taxis and rental cars. There is no public transport. Most resorts and hotels offer mini-bus shuttle services to airports and other areas.

Food & Entertainment
The islands which are best equipped for tourism offer world class seafood restaurants. In Guam, Palau and Saipan you can sample a variety of cuisine including American, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Philippine, Mexican and Chamorro. 

In Pohnpei try the local drink, sakau. In Chuuk there's Japanese and local cooking, and in Rota there is the best of the traditional Chamorro cooking.

In the Marshall Islands, American, Western style cooking and Chinese cuisine goes hand-in-hand with Marshallese specialties.

Activities & Shopping

There is a diverse range of water based activities including snorkelling, diving and swimming in the exquisitely clear blue water which offers colourful corals and lots of sunken historical objects. Jade, coral, ivory, gold and handmade silks are available plus handicrafts such as trays, baskets, hats, headbands and purses.

The islanders are known for their weaving of pandanus leaves and for their traditional stick charts which have been used for centuries by the fishermen for navigation.

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