![Pohnpei in Federated States of Micronesia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Pohnpei_in_Federated_States_of_Micronesia.svg)
Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension,
Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic: ''*Fawo ni pei)'' is an island of the
Senyavin Islands
The Senyavin Islands belong to the Federated States of Micronesia. They consist of a larger volcanic Pohnpei Island (about 334 km2) and two small atolls Ant and Pakin.
History
On Pohnpei, pre-colonial history is divided into three eras: ...
which are part of the larger
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...
group. It belongs to
Pohnpei State
Pohnpei State (IPA: pɔ:n peɪ) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are, from east to west, Kosrae State, Chuuk State, and Yap State. The state's main island is Pohnpei.
History
The pre-colonia ...
, one of the four
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
s in the
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...
(FSM). Major population centers on Pohnpei include
Palikir
Palikir () is the capital city of the Federated States of Micronesia located in the western Pacific Ocean. A town of slightly under 5,000 residents, it is part of the larger Sokehs municipality, which had a population of 6,647 , out of the natio ...
, the FSM's capital, and
Kolonia
Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. I ...
, the capital of Pohnpei State. Pohnpei Island is the largest with an area of , and a highest point of , the most populous with 36,832 people, and the most developed single island in the FSM.
Pohnpei is home to the megaliths and ruined city of
Nan Madol
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of t ...
, built of artificial islands off the island's eastern shore beginning in the 8th or 9th century. An important archaeological site, it was declared a national historic site in 1985.
Pohnpei contains a wealth of
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
. It is one of the wettest places on Earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding each year in certain mountainous locations. It is home to the ka tree (''
Terminalia carolinensis
''Terminalia carolinensis'', commonly known as the ka tree or keima tree, is a tree that grows on the Micronesian islands of Kosrae and Pohnpei
Pohnpei "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')" (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, Proto-C ...
'') found only in Pohnpei and
Kosrae
Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...
.
Geography
![Senyavin island (FSM)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Senyavin_island_%28FSM%29.jpg)
The highest point of the island is
Mount Nanlaud at 772 or 782 metres. Pohnpei is home to several dozen bird species including four
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
species, the
Pohnpei lorikeet
The Pohnpei lorikeet (''Trichoglossus rubiginosus''), known as serehd in Pohnpeian, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the island of Pohnpei and the nearby Ahnd Atoll in Micronesia. Historically the species also ...
, the
Pohnpei fantail
The Pohnpei fantail (''Rhipidura kubaryi'') is a fantail, known as Likepsir in Pohnpeian, which is endemic to the Pacific island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a bird commonly found in forests and at forest edges. It fee ...
, the
Pohnpei flycatcher
The Pohnpei flycatcher (''Myiagra pluto''), known as Koikoi in Pohnpeian, is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Micronesia and can be found on the Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are ...
and the
long-billed white-eye
The long-billed white-eye (''Rukia longirostra''), known as Tiht in Pohnpeian, is a species of bird in the family Zosteropidae. It is Endemism, endemic to the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Its natural habitats are sub ...
. A fifth endemic, the
Pohnpei starling
The Pohnpei starling (''Aplonis pelzelni''), also known as Pohnpei mountain starling or Ponape mountain starling, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct bird from the family of starlings ( Sturnidae). It is (or was) endemic to the island of Po ...
, is thought to have recently gone
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
.
The only land reptiles are a few species of lizard. Originally the only mammals were bats. Pigs, rats and dogs were introduced; pigs have become feral. The lagoons are rich in fish, molluscs, turtles and other marine fauna.
Climate
![Ponape](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Ponape.jpg)
Pohnpei belongs to the
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
zone (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Af''). It is one of the wettest places on Earth with an average annual recorded rainfall of in towns along the coast and about each year in certain mountainous locations.
History
The natives of Pohnpei, especially the 'older' generations, often refer to events in their past as having occurred, e.g., in "German times" or "before the Spaniards," which identifies the historical periods as follows:
[
]
Pre-colonial history
The earliest settlers were probably Lapita culture
The Lapita culture is the name given to a Neolithic Austronesian people and their material culture, who settled Island Melanesia via a seaborne migration at around 1600 to 500 BCE. They are believed to have originated from the northern Philipp ...
people from the Southeast Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
or the Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
. Pre-colonial history is divided into three eras: ''Mwehin Kawa'' or ''Mwehin Aramas'' (Period of Building, or Period of Peopling, before c. 1100); ''Mwehin Sau Deleur'' (Period of the Lord of Deleur, c. 1100 to c. 1628); and ''Mwehin Nahnmwarki'' (Period of the Nahnmwarki, c. 1628 to c. 1885). Pohnpeian legend recounts that the Saudeleur rulers, the first to bring government to Pohnpei, were of foreign origin. The Saudeleur centralized form of absolute rule is characterized in Pohnpeian legend as becoming increasingly oppressive over several generations. Arbitrary and onerous demands, as well as a reputation for offending Pohnpeian deities, sowed resentment among Pohnpeians
The Micronesians or Micronesian peoples are various closely related ethnic groups native to Micronesia, a region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They are a part of the Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, which has an Urheimat in Taiwan.
Ethn ...
. The Saudeleur Dynasty ended with the invasion of Isokelekel, another semi-mythical foreigner, who replaced the Saudeleur rule with the more decentralized '' nahnmwarki'' system in existence today.
Pohnpeian historic society was highly structured into five tribes, various clans and sub-clans; each tribe headed by two principal chiefs. The tribes were organized on a feudal basis. In theory, "all land belonged to the chiefs, who received regular tribute and whose rule was absolute." Punishments administered by chiefs included death and banishment. Tribal wars included looting, destruction of houses and canoes and killing of prisoners.[ Pre-Spanish population estimates are deemed unreliable.][
]
Earliest European contacts
Pohnpei's first European visitor was Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra on 14 September 1529 shortly before his death, when trying to find the way back to New Spain
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...
. He charted it as ''San Bartolomé'' and called this one and the surrounding islands as ''Los Pintados'' (literally, "the painted ones" in Spanish) because the natives were frequently tattooed. It was later visited by the navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós ( es, Pedro Fernández de Quirós) (1563–1614) was a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He is best known for his involvement with Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595–1 ...
, commanding the Spanish ship ''San Jeronimo''.[ on 23 December 1595; his description is brief, he made no attempt to land.
]
19th-century visitors
There is good documentation about Australian sailor John Henry Rowe, who arrived in his barque ''John Bull'' on 10 September 1825, though he did not land as his vessel was chased off by native canoes. The first lengthy description of the island and its inhabitants is presented by the Russian explorer Fyodor Litke
Fyodor, Fedor (russian: Фёдор) or Feodor is the Russian form of the name "Theodore" meaning “God’s Gift”. Fedora () is the feminine form. Fyodor and Fedor are two English transliterations of the same Russian name.
It may refer to:
Giv ...
, whose ship ''Senyavin'' gave the island group of Pohnpei, Ant and Pakin its name. From 14 to 19 January 1828, his boats attempted to land but could not due to the hostility shown by the islanders, but natives then came aboard his ship, "some trading occurred, a short vocabulary was compiled, and a map made."[ F.H. von Kittlitz, a member of the Litke expedition made a further descriptive account, including the offshore ruins of ]Nan Madol
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of t ...
, and the two reports together provided the first real knowledge of Pohnpei.[ It is not clear who the next visitors were; however, when Capt. J.H. Eagleston of the barque ''Peru'' sighted the island on 3 January 1832, it was already on his charts as "Ascension Island." Riesenberg writes that it is uncertain who first called it Ascension Island, but the name became established until the Spanish period.][
]
Miscreants and missionaries
From this time onward, whaling and trading vessels came in increasing numbers. Very soon a "large colony of beachcombers, escaped convicts, and ship's deserters became established ashore," identified as "chiefly bad characters," according to the log of the Swedish frigate ''Eugenie''.[ The first missionary to arrive was Father Louis Désiré Maigret, a Roman Catholic priest. He had sailed from Honolulu on the schooner ''Notre Dame de Paix'' and began his efforts in December 1837, but he departed on 29 July 1838 for ]Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
after seven unsuccessful months.[Bunson, Maggie. ''Faith in Paradise''. Boston: St. Paul Publishing. 1977, pp. 43, 65] In his company were "several Mangareva
Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north. Mangareva has a permanent pop ...
ns and Tahitians
The Tahitians ( ty, Māohi; french: Tahitiens) are the Polynesian ethnic group indigenous to Tahiti and thirteen other Society Islands in French Polynesia. The numbers may also include the modern population in these islands of mixed Polynesian ...
," some of whom remained on Pohnpei and left descendants.[ Ten years later Maigret returned to the ]Hawaiian kingdom
The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the ...
as Bishop of Honolulu.[ A group of Protestant missionaries from New England established themselves permanently on Pohnpei in 1852. Their letters and journals contain a wealth of information about the island and are preserved at ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.[
A drastic population decline occurred after 1854, due to a ]smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic.[
During the ]American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, to counteract the United States blockade of their ports, Confederate States Navy ships hunted Yankee merchant shipping. On April 1, 1865, the ''CSS Shenandoah
CSS ''Shenandoah'', formerly ''Sea King'' and later ''El Majidi'', was an iron-framed, teak-planked, full-rigged sailing ship with auxiliary steam power chiefly known for her actions under Lieutenant Commander James Waddell as part of the Con ...
'' surprised four United States whalers at Ascension Island (Pohnpei) and destroyed them all. The local king, Nananierikie, was delighted to receive much of the spoils from this action.
Spanish rule
By 1886 the Spaniards claimed the Caroline Islands which were part of the Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
-based Spanish East Indies
The Spanish East Indies ( es , Indias orientales españolas ; fil, Silangang Indiyas ng Espanya) were the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire in Asia-Pacific, Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1898, governed for the Spanish Crown from Mexico C ...
and began to exert political authority. They founded the city ''Santiago de la Ascensión'' in what today is ''Kolonia'' (from Spanish ''colonia'' or colony). The Spanish built several government buildings, a fort, a church and a school. Spanish Capuchin friars were also sent from Manila to Pohnpei to preach the Catholic faith. After the 1898 Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
, the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
purchased the Caroline island group from Spain in 1899 together with the Marianas (except Guam) and 4 years later the Marshall Islands for 17 million goldmark.
German rule and land reform
During the German administration a fundamental change in land ownership was implemented on Pohnpei and throughout the Carolines. Beginning in 1907, the feudal system, in which all land is held in fief, was gradually replaced with the issuance of individual deeds to land. The chief's economic advantages were thus reduced, and only force of tradition granted a first harvest tribute to chiefs.[
With land holding, taxes came due and new owners, in lieu of payment, were obliged to work 15 days per year on public projects, such as wharf construction, road building, etc. One such work for taxes engagement sparked the Sokehs Rebellion. It began as an insubordination event during road construction on Sokehs Island, then escalated into the murder of 9 persons, the subsequent apprehension and trial of 36 Sokehs rebels, the execution of 15 insurgents, and banishment for others to Babelthuap in the German Palau Islands.
The German census of 1911–12 shows 3,190 Pohnpeians, 585 Central Carolinians and 279 Melanesians. Many of the outer islands were resettled (mainly on Sokehs Island) as a consequence of destructive typhoons in their home islands.
A special census conducted in late 1947 shows a total population of 5,628, of which 4,451 were Pohnpeians, and 1,177 were natives of other Pacific islands. By 1963, the population had grown to nearly 10,000.][
]
Japanese rule
With the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
, Japan as mandatory power assumed control of all German colonial possessions north of the equator, having occupied Pohnpei along with the rest of the Carolines, the Marshalls
Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. Mar ...
, the Marianas
The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
(except for American-owned Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
) and Kiautschou Bay
The Jiaozhou Bay (; german: Kiautschou Bucht, ) is a bay located in the prefecture-level city of Qingdao (Tsingtau), China.
The bay has historically been romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in English and Kiautschou in German.
Geogra ...
during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In subsequent years and during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the Japanese garrison strength was composed of about 2,000 men of the IJN under Captain Jun Naito and 5,984 IJA men under Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe. However, Pohnpei was bypassed by the US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
during the island-hopping
Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II.
The key idea is to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to ca ...
amphibious campaigns of 1943–1945.[
The island was shelled on several occasions, including by the battleships USS ''Massachusetts'', USS ''Alabama'', and , as well as air attacks launched from USS ''Cowpens''. After the war, Japanese nationals were repatriated to Japan by the US Navy.
]
United States administration, under United Nations oversight
The Federated States of Micronesia achieved independence in 1986 after being administered by the United States under UN auspices since 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Demographics
The population of the state in 2010 was approximately 36,196. While the majority of the population consider themselves ethnic Pohnpeians, Pohnpei is more ethnically diverse
The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...
than any other island in the FSM. This is largely due to more than a century of foreign colonial occupation, bringing in Spanish, German, Japanese, Chamorro Chamorro may refer to:
* Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific
* Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas
* Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mar ...
, Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
, US, Australian, other western Europeans, and it being home to the capital of the national government, which employs hundreds of people from the other three FSM States (Yap
Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...
, Chuuk, Kosrae
Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...
) having distinct ethnic and cultural origins. The indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
makeup also includes the multiple regional ethnicities of the outer islands within Pohnpei State, resulting in a mix of Australasian Pacific Islanders and hence making Pohnpei Island the FSM's melting pot
The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...
.
Languages
The Pohnpeian language
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with a ...
(formerly called "Ponapean") and its dialects are the indigenous languages of Pohnpei. The Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...
government also uses Pohnpeian as an official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
.
Administrative divisions
The municipalities on the island of Pohnpei are:
*Kitti
These datasets are applied for machine learning research and have been cited in peer-reviewed academic journals. Datasets are an integral part of the field of machine learning. Major advances in this field can result from advances in learning a ...
, southwest. Includes Ant Atoll
Ant Atoll is a small atoll lying off the west coast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Along with the nearby Pakin Atoll, these islands constitute the Senyavin group of islands.
Ant's first European visitor was Álvaro de Saavedr ...
*Kolonia
Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. I ...
, north
*Madolenihmw
Madolenihmw is one of the administrative divisions of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. It is located in the central east of the island, to the east of Mount Nahna Laud and south of Mount Kapwuriso. The coast of Madolenihmw includes a large b ...
, east
*Nett
Nett also written as Net, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. Description
Nett is one of the six municipalities located in the main island of Pohnpei. It corresponds to the north-central sect ...
(main island, north/center, formerly including state capital Kolonia
Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. I ...
on the north coast)
*Sokehs
Sokehs is a village and municipality on the main island in the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.
It is the location of Palikir, the federal capital.
The namesake Sokehs Peninsula is located north of the main island.
Education
P ...
, northwest. Also includes Pakin Atoll
Pakin Atoll is a small atoll lying off the northwest coast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. Along with the nearby Ant Atoll these islands constitute the Senyavin group of islands.
Pakin has a population of around 90-100 people, a ...
and Palikir
Palikir () is the capital city of the Federated States of Micronesia located in the western Pacific Ocean. A town of slightly under 5,000 residents, it is part of the larger Sokehs municipality, which had a population of 6,647 , out of the natio ...
, the national capital
* U, northeast
Transportation
Pohnpei International Airport (IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
code PNI PNI may refer to:
Organizations
* Indonesian National Party (''Partai Nasional Indonesia''), the name used by several political parties in Indonesia
* Palestinian National Initiative, a Palestinian political party
* PNI Digital Media (Photochann ...
) is located near Kolonia
Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. I ...
, on a small island named Deketik off the northern coast of the main island.
Sport
The FSM is part of the international Olympic movement, originally the work of James Tobin, who now sits on the IOC Executive Board, sending teams to the summer games beginning in 2000 with the Sydney games and continuing every four years to the present with athletes participating in track and field, swimming and weightlifting. The most notable Pohnpeian athlete is marathon runner Elias Rodriguez who ran for the FSM at the Sydney Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug language, Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport ...
. Rodriguez finished last in the marathon but was cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators and watched by millions of television viewers as he entered the Olympic stadium for a final lap immediately prior to the closing ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event. which was delayed to allow his finish.
Pohnpei in fiction
Pohnpei (as Ponape) plays a role in several stories of the Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
by H. P. Lovecraft and others. Its role in "Out of the Aeons
"Out of the Aeons" is a short story by American writers H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald, a writer from Somerville, Massachusetts. First published in the April 1935 issue of '' Weird Tales'' magazine, it was one of five stories Lovecraft revised f ...
", by Lovecraft and Hazel Heald
Hazel Heald (April 6, 1896February 4, 1961) was a pulp fiction writer, who lived in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is perhaps best known for collaborating with American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft.
Biography
Heald was born the daughter ...
, was inspired by the ruins of Nan Madol
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of t ...
(see above), which had already been used as the setting for a lost race
The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century.
The g ...
story by Abraham Merritt
Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884 – August 21, 1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was an American Sunday magazine editor and a writer of fantastic fiction.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999, ...
, ''The Moon Pool
''The Moon Pool'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Abraham Merritt. It originally appeared as two short stories in ''All-Story Weekly'': "The Moon Pool" (1918) and its sequel, "Conquest of the Moon Pool" (1919). These were then reworked in ...
'', in which the islands are called Nan-Matal.["they had set forth for the Nan-Matal, that extraordinary group of island ruins clustered along the eastern shore of Ponape in the Carolines"]
The island of Pohnpei was used in the Call of Duty Black Ops 3 map Zetsubou No Shima.
Pohnpei is a central location in '' South Sea Adventure'' (1952), the second of Willard Price
Willard DeMille Price (28 July 1887 – 14 October 1983) was a Canadian-born American traveller, journalist and author.
Early life
Price was born to a family of devout Methodism, Methodists in Peterborough, Ontario. When he was four years ol ...
's Young Adult Adventure Series books featuring Hal and Roger Hunt.
Pohnpei, or "Ponape" as it is spelled, is stated as the home island of "Mike" on the popular blog ''Dunce Upon A Time'', authored by BC Woods.
Education
Pohnpei State Department of Education
Pohnpei State Department of Education (PDOE) is an agency of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia that operates public schools.
Churchill B. Edward is the department's director.
Schools
it had 31 elementary schools with 556 preschool ...
operates public schools.
Public high schools:[Higher Education in the Federated States of Micronesia]
." Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia Washington DC. Retrieved on February 23, 2018.
* Nanpei Memorial High School a.k.a. Kitti High School
*Madolenihmw High School
Madolenihmw High School is a senior high school in Pohnlangas, Madolenihmw, Pohnpei Island, Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. the school, operated by the Pohnpei State Department of Education, has about 400 students.[Nett
Nett also written as Net, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. Description
Nett is one of the six municipalities located in the main island of Pohnpei. It corresponds to the north-central sect ...]
Private schools:
* Calvary Christian Academy in Kolonia[
* Ohwa Christian High School in Madolenihmw][
* Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Kolonia
*]Seventh Day Adventist High School
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season epi ...
in Nett[
Pohnpei Catholic School
Post Secondary Education:
*]College of Micronesia-FSM
The College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM) is a Public college, public community college in the Federated States of Micronesia. It began operation in 1963 as the Micronesian Teacher Education Center.
The college has a state campus in each of the fou ...
, which has a state campus in each of the four states with its national campus in the capital city of Palikir. The COM-FSM system also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) on the Yap islands.
Lidorkini Museum
The Lidorkini Museum was a museum in Kolonia on the island of Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia.
History
The first iteration of the Lidorkini Museum opened in June 1976, under its former name, Ponape Museum. It closed several ye ...
was located in Kolonia, until its closure in 2012.
Notable residents
* Debra Daniel – Olympic swimmer
*Iris Falcam
Iris Green Falcam (August 25, 1938 – February 19, 2010) was an American-born Micronesian librarian, researcher and public servant. Falcam served as the First Lady of the Federated States of Micronesia from 1999 to 2003 during the tenure of he ...
– Librarian and former First Lady of Micronesia
*Leo Falcam
Leo Amy Falcam (November 20, 1935 – February 12, 2018) was a Micronesian political figure. He was born in Pohnpei. He served as the first elected Governor of Pohnpei from 1979 to 1983 and as Vice President of Micronesia from May 1997 to May 19 ...
– Former President of Micronesia
* Kerson Hadley – Olympic swimmer
* Emelihter Kihleng – Poet
*Bailey Olter
Bailey Olter (27 March 1932, Mwoakilloa, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia – 16 February 1999) was a Micronesian political figure. He was elected to the Senate of Micronesian Congress from Ponape district. He served as Vice President ...
– Former President of Micronesia
* Elias Rodriguez – Olympic marathon runner
* Mihter Wendolin – Olympic sprinter
Gallery
File:Flag of Pohnpei (1977-1992).svg, Flag of Pohnpei
File:Pwusehn Malek (also known as Chickenshit Mountain) in Pohnpei, FSM.jpg, Pwusehn Malek (also known as Chickenshit Mountain) in Pohnpei
File:Pohnpei Lorikeet.jpg, Pohnpei lorikeet
File:Pohnpei Flycatcher.jpg, Pohnpei flycatcher
File:PohnpeiAirport.jpg, Pohnpei Airport
File:Petroglyphs at Pohnpeid, Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia).jpg, Petroglyphs
See also
*Kapingamarangi
Kapingamarangi is an atoll and a municipality in the state of Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is by far the most southerly atoll or island of the country and of the Caroline Islands, south of the next southerly atoll, Nukuoro, ...
*Pingelap
Pingelap is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, part of Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of three islands: Pingelap Island, Sukoru and Daekae, linked by a reef system and surrounding a central lagoon, although only Pinge ...
*Sapwuahfik
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, or the Raven Islands is a atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a village and municipality of roughly 430 people on a land area of in the state of Pohnpei.
Geography
It is located southwest of the m ...
*Nukuoro
Nukuoro is an atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a municipality of the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. It is the secondmost southern atoll of the country, after Kapingamarangi. They both are Polynesian outliers ...
*Oroluk
Oroluk waas one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. In 1985, it became part of Sokehs Municipality.
Description
Oroluk municipality included Oroluk Atoll and Minto Reef.
This municipality is uninh ...
*Nan Madol
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of t ...
*US Naval Base Carolines
US Naval Base Carolines was number of United States Navy bases on the Caroline Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea during World War II. The bases were built to support the island hoping Pacific war efforts of th ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*''The Island of the Colour-blind'', Oliver Sacks, Publisher: Pan Macmillan (6 June 1997), paperback, .
*''Pohnpei, an Island Argosy'', Gene Ashby, Publisher: Rainy Day Pr West; Revised edition (June 1987), paperback,
*''Nest in the Wind: Adventures in anthropology on a tropical island'', Martha C Ward, Publisher: Waveland Press Inc. (1989), paperback,
*Thomas Morlang: ''Rebellion in der Südsee. Der Aufstand auf Ponape gegen die deutschen Kolonialherren 1910-1911'', Christoph Links Verlag, Berlin, Germany
*David Childress. "The Lost City of the Pacific". ''Omega Science Digest'' (March 1986), pp. 48–55, 121.
External links
POHNPEI, un estado marítimo-insular en el Océano Pacífico. 1.
POHNPEI, uno de los cinco estados que integran la FSM. 2.
POHNPEI (Islas Carolinas orientales). 3º parte.
Los atolones occidentales de Pohnpei (Estados Federados de Micronesia). 4ª parte.
{{Use dmy dates, date=July 2013
Caroline Islands
Palikir