Page last updated on February 08, 2019

Location:
Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:
6 55 N, 158 15 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 702 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 702 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 0 sq km (fresh water only)
note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie)
country comparison to the world: 192

Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only)

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
6,112 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Terrain:
islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Elevation:
0 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean
782 highest point: Nanlaud on Pohnpei

Natural resources:
timber, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate

Land use:
agricultural land: 25.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 2.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 19.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 3.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 74.5% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
0 sq km NA (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
the majority of the populaton lives in the coastal areas of the high islands; the mountainous interior is largely uninhabited; less than half of the population lives in urban areas

Natural hazards:
typhoons (June to December)

Environment - current issues:
overfishing; climate change; water pollution, toxic pollution from mining; solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands