FEMA - 9332 - Photograph by Marty Bahamonde taken on 04-03-1998 in Guam

Chuuk State (; also known as Truk) is one of the four states of 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). The other states are

Kosrae State 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 ...

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 ...

, and

Yap State Yap State, also known in the Yapese language as Nam nu Wa'ab (lit. "Island of Yap") or simply as Wa'ab, is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Chuuk State. ...

. It consists of several island groups: * Namoneas * Faichuuk *

Hall Islands The Hall Islands are a group of two large atolls in the northern part of the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. In the broader sense, a third and smaller atoll is included. Nomwin, the western atoll, and Murilo, the eastern one, a ...

Namonuito Atoll Namonuito Atoll, also called Namonweito, Weito, or Magur Islands, is the largest atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia and of the Caroline Islands with a total area of , unless one considers the still larger Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon as a type o ...

(Magur Islands) (northwest) *

Pattiw Pattiw or Western Islands is the name of the westernmost area of the State of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of the three islands or atolls of Houk, Poluwat and Pollap, with a total land area of and a population of 2,73 ...

(Western Islands) * Mortlock Islands Chuuk is the most populous state of the FSM with 50,000 inhabitants on .

Chuuk Lagoon Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific. It lies about northeast of New Guinea, and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective reef, around, encloses a natural harbo ...

is where most people live. Weno Island in the lagoon functions as

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

and is FSM's biggest city. It is scheduled to possibly vote for independence as proposed.

History

Indigenous settlement

Catholic Church in Tonowas island, Truck (from a book published in 1932)

Chuuk was first settled by Austronesians, believed to be from the

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 ...

Island Melanesia Island Melanesia is a subregion of Melanesia in Oceania. It is located east of New Guinea island, from the Bismarck Archipelago to New Caledonia.Steadman, 2006. ''Extinction & biogeography of tropical Pacific birds'' See also Archaeology an ...

. Archaeological evidence indicates that islands of Feefen and Wééné Islands had human settlements in the first and second century BC. Later evidence indicates that widespread human settlements appeared in Chuuk during the 14th century AD, as the Chuukese culture was formed.

Spanish colonization

The first sighting recorded by Europeans was made by the Spanish navigator Alvaro de Saavedra on board the ''Florida'' during August or September 1528. They were later visited by the Spaniard

Alonso de Arellano Alonso de Arellano was a 16th-century Spanish explorer who commanded one ship that was part of the fleet that re-discovered the Philippines after the Magellan and López de Villalobos expeditions. Biography Arellano was captain of the ''San Luca ...

on 15 January, 1565 on board the galleon patache San Lucas. As part of the Caroline Islands, Truk was claimed by the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

, which struggled to control the islands in the late 19th century. The Chuuk Lagoon was then inhabited by Chuukese people (an Austronesian group) that participated in intermittent wars, as well as a small population of foreign merchants and missionaries, mostly linked to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Spanish control over the islands was in part nominal. The Spanish stopped to raise a flag over Chuuk in 1886, and returned in 1895 as part of an attempt to assert control and negotiate peace between the tribes of Chuuk. No major Spanish settlement was established and traditional life continued until the German colonial era.

German and Japanese rule

The Caroline Islands were sold to 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 ...

in 1899, after Spain withdrew from the Pacific after the

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 ...

in which it lost its main colony in Asia, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Germany incorporated the territory into its domain in the

German New Guinea German New Guinea (german: Deutsch-Neu-Guinea) consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups and was the first part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , ...

. 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 ...

, the

Japanese navy , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

was tasked with pursuing and destroying the German East Asian squadron and protecting the shipping lanes of Allied trade in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the course of this operation, the Japanese Navy seized German possessions in the Mariana Islands, the Carolinas, the Marshall Islands and Palau groups by October 1914. Chuuk then became a possession of the Empire of Japan under the mandate of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

after the defeat of Germany in World War I. Dublon Island under bombing attack

United States rule

Chuuk was one of six districts of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. History Spain initially claimed the islands that later composed the territory of the Trus ...

(TTPI) which were administered by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

under charter from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

from the end of the

Second World War 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 ...

to the mid-1980s. The termination of U.S. administration of the Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Mariana Islands districts of the TTPI occurred on 3 November 1986.

Independence

The

, including Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei, was established in 1979 and signed a

Compact of Free Association The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (F ...

with the U.S. (effective 3 November 1986). On 2 July 2002, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Chataan caused more than thirty landslides that killed forty-seven people and injured dozens of others, in the state's deadliest weather disaster. The landslides occurred throughout the day, some within just minutes of each other. As of recent times, Chuuk has been pushing harder for independence. An independence referendum was originally scheduled to coincide with federal elections on 3 March 2015, but was pushed back to 5 March 2019. The independence referendum was further pushed back to March 2022, with a date to be announced, while the constitutional legality of the proposed secession is determined.

Geography

Beach on Weno island (Chuuk, Micronesia)

To the west is

. To the east are

and

is further east. The main population center of Chuuk State is the

, a large archipelago with mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets on a

barrier reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

. The two major geographical and dialectic divisions of the Chuuk Lagoon are Faichuuk, the western islands, and Namoneas, the eastern islands. Chuuk State also includes several more sparsely populated "outer island" groups, including the Mortlock Islands to the southeast, the

(Pafeng) to the north,

to the northwest, and the

Region to west. The Pattiw Region is of particular interest in that it has some of the most traditional islands in the Pacific and is culturally related to outer islands of

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 ...

. This group includes the islands of

Pollap Pulap or Pollap is an atoll with a total area (including the lagoon) of , of which is emergent land, consisting of three islands, Pollap in the north, Tamatam in the south, and Fanadik at the western fringe of the reef. The atoll is located in the ...

, Tamatam,

Poluwat Poluwat, also Polowat, formerly Puluwat, is a coral atoll and a municipality of Chuuk state, Federated States of Micronesia. Geography Polowat is located in the northwestern region ( Oksoritod), and there in the western area (Pattiw) of Chu ...

, and Houk. There are still traditional master navigators—Poluwat and Pollap are considered to have some of the best navigators and ocean-going

outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger ...

s in the Pacific. In the islands of the Pattiw Region, and some of the Islands of Yap, are the last two remaining schools of navigation,

Weriyeng Weriyeng (also spelled "Warieng") is one of the last two schools of traditional navigation found in the central Caroline Islands in Micronesia, the other being Fanur. By tradition these two schools were considered to be the most high of all the sc ...

and Faaluush. Visiting the Pattiw Region in the west, however, is difficult due to the lack of reliable transportation. Houk probably has the most accessible airstrip in the Pattiw Region, with planes landing every one or two weeks. The state shares its

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

with

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, namely the eastern portion of the city including the CBD.

Climate

Demographics

Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. At the census held on 1 April 2000, it had 53,595 inhabitants, compared with 34,486 for

Pohnpei 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 which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei ...

, 11,241 for

and 7,686 for

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 ...

; at the census held on 4 April 2010, it had 48,654 inhabitants, compared with 36,196 for

, 11,377 for

and 6,616 for

.Office of Statistics, Budget and Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management.

Religion

The majority of the state's population is affiliated with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

as a result of the activity of missionary groups first from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and then from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

was introduced during the Spanish colonization period, followed by the arrival of various Protestant groups. The main religious building in the state is the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...

Cathedral in Tunnuk,

Weno Weno, formerly Moen, is an island municipality of Chuuk State of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It is the largest town in the FSM. It has an estimated area of 20 square kilometers. Population The population was 13,856 at the census ...

, which is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of the Caroline Islands (''Diocese Carolinensium'') suffragan of the ecclesiastical province of Agaña in

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 ...

. Other churches in the state include

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

Church on Lekinioch Island,

Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where the Christ is described as seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one of ...

Church in Neiwe, Houk Catholic Church,

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...

Church in Weno, St. Ignatius Church in Fonoton, among others.

Language

The people of the country speak the

Chuukese language Chuukese , also rendered Trukese , is a Chuukic language of the Austronesian language family spoken primarily on the islands of Chuuk in the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. There are communities of speakers on Pohnpei, Guam, and the Hawaiian I ...

, a

Micronesian Language The twenty Micronesian languages form a family of Oceanic languages. Micronesian languages are known for their lack of plain labial consonants; they have instead two series, palatalized and labio-velarized labials. Languages According to Jack ...

Culture

Jesuit mission at Weno

The New York Province of the Society of Jesus (the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

) maintains a mission school on the island of Weno in Chuuk.

Xavier High School A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

is housed at the former Japanese communications center. It is a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

institution, drawing students from all the island groups of the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

and the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

. Teachers are both Jesuit and lay and come from Micronesia, the U.S.,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Spirit possession

Although Chuuk is an overwhelmingly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

society, traditional beliefs in

spirit possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and re ...

by the dead still exist. Allegedly, these spirits overwhelmingly possess women, and spirit possession is usually brought on by family conflicts. The spirits, speaking through the women, typically admonish family members to treat each other better.

Cultural references

There are some references on the

, treating guests, and on beliefs in the sci-fi book "Reefsong" from

Carol Severance Carol Severance (1944 – February 19, 2015) was a U.S. science fiction writer. Life Carol Severance was a Hawaii-based Science Fiction and Fantasy writer known for her strong female characters. As an artist she had a special interest in Paci ...

Municipalities

Of the 40 municipalities of the state, 16 fall within the

and 24 in the Outer Islands. In the table below, each is followed by its population at the 2010 Census: *

(36,158) **

Faichuk Faichuk (also Faichuuk, Tol, or the Western Islands) are a group of four islands separated from one another by narrow canals in the western part of Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of a ...

(11,305) *** Eot (266) ***

Fala-Beguets Fanapanges is an island in the Nomwisofo Area belonging to the Faichuk Region and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It ...

(672) *** Paata (1,107) *** Polle (1,498) *** Romanum (865) *** Tol (4,579) ***

Udot The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is an agency of the state government of Utah, United States; it is usually referred to by its initials UDOT (pronounced "you-dot"). UDOT is charged with maintaining the more than of roadway that co ...

(1,680) *** Wonei (638) ** Northern Namoneas (14,620) *** Fono (388) *** Piis-Penau (376) ***

(13,856) ** Southern Namoneas (10,233) *** Fefan (3,471) ***

Param Param may refer to: * PARAM, a series of Indian supercomputers * Param (company), a video game developer * Param, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Param, Mazandaran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Param, Chuuk, Microne ...

(342) ***

Tonowas Tonowas (or Tonoas), also known by its Spanish name of Dublon, is an island in the Chuuk (formerly Truk) lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia. It has an area of 8.8 km2 and the population was 3,200 at the time of the last census (1980). A na ...

(3,517) ***

Tsis Tsis is a municipality of Chuuk, 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 Kosraeth ...

(349) ***

Uman Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

(2,554) * Outer Islands (12,496) ** Mortlocks (5,677) ***

Etal Etal ( )not is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England, in the civil parish of Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and includes the substantial ru ...

(672) *** Kutu (323) ***

Losap Losap is an atoll located in the Eastern Islands or Upper Mortlock Islands group in the outer islands region of the state of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is located to the SE of Chuuk. Losap is also the name of one of the four ...

(248) ***

Lukunor Lukunor is an Island and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is a small atoll part of the Nomoi Islands group, located about 264 km to the southeast of Chuuk. History Lukunor was first sighted by Europea ...

(848) ***

Moch Moch may refer to: Places * Moch, Chuuk, an island and municipality in the Federated States of Micronesia People * Moch, Palatine of Hungary (12–13th century), Hungarian lord * Cheryl Moch, American writer * Dontay Moch (born 1988), Ameri ...

(932) *** Nama (676) ***

Namoluk Namoluk (meaning "lagoon in the middle") is an atoll and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is the smallest atoll in Micronesia, with a total surface of only 13 km2 and a land mass of less than 1 km2. Nam ...

(355) ***

Oneop Oneop is an island in the outer islands of MORTLOCK. and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four sta ...

(400) ***

Pis-Losap Pis-Losap is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, 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, Chu ...

(258) ***

Satawan Satawan Atoll is an atoll located about southeast of Chuuk Lagoon proper. Geographically it is part of the Nomoi or Mortlock Islands in the Carolines and administratively it is part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. About ...

(692) *** Ta (273) ** Northwest (6,819) ***

Fananu Fananu is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, 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 ...

(580) *** Magur (159) ***

Murilo Murilo is a village, atoll, and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is located 9 km to the NE of Nomwin Atoll and 101 km to the NNE of Chuuk Lagoon. Its population is over a 1,000 people. Together w ...

(329) ***

Nomwin Nomwin is a large atoll, part of the Hall Islands, as well as a village and municipality (together with uninhabited East Fayu) in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is located 9 km to the SW of Murilo Atoll and 82 ...

(763) ***

Onari Onari is an Island and municipality in the state of Chuuk, 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, ...

(193) *** Ono (172) ***

Pisaras Pisaras is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, 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 ...

(227) ***

(745) ***

Pulap Pulap or Pollap is an atoll with a total area (including the lagoon) of , of which is emergent land, consisting of three islands, Pollap in the north, Tamatam in the south, and Fanadik at the western fringe of the reef. The atoll is located in the ...

(1,168) ***

Pulusuk Pulusuk or Houk Island is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. It is a small island that lies at the end of a long submerged atoll. Pulusuk is part of the Pattiw group, located to the west of Chuu ...

(1,116) *** Ruo (241) *** Tamatam (493) ***

Ulul Ulul is a village and municipality in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. An airstrip on Ulul allows regularly scheduled flights by Caroline Islands Air to the capital, Weno. Structures on the island include a school, municipal b ...

(633)

Politics and government

The State of Chuuk is one of the four federal states of the Federated States of Micronesia. As a democratic

federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

, each state has the ability to retain large number of power within the state as well as a certain level of sovereignty typical of federal states. The chief executive of Chuuk is the governor. Chuuk has a bicameral legislature.

Education

Chuuk State Department of Education Chuuk State Department of Education is an agency of Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. It is headquartered in Nantaku, Weno, Chuuk Island.Home
...

operates public schools. Public high schools:School location
" Chuuk State Department of Education. Retrieved on 28 February 2018. *

Chuuk High School Chuuk High School (CHS), formerly Truk High School, is a secondary school in Weno, Chuuk Lagoon, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. It is a part of the Chuuk State Department of Education. Its original facility was built between the lat ...

- Weno *

Faichuk High School Faichuk (also Faichuuk, Tol, or the Western Islands) are a group of four islands separated from one another by narrow canals in the western part of Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Micronesia. The tightly knit islands are considered as one for statistical and a ...

Moch High School Moch may refer to: Places * Moch, Chuuk, an island and municipality in the Federated States of Micronesia People * Moch, Palatine of Hungary (12–13th century), Hungarian lord * Cheryl Moch, American writer * Dontay Moch (born 1988), Ameri ...

Mortlock High School Mortlock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *John Mortlock (1755–1816), British banker and politician *Stirling Mortlock (born 1977), Australian rugby player *Bryce Mortlock (1921–2004), Australian architect * David F ...

Southern Namoneas High School Southern Namoneas High School (SNHS) is a secondary school in Fefen Island, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. It is a part of the Chuuk State Department of Education. Construction began by 1970. The fiscal year 1972 program related to ...

(SNHS)Higher Education in the Federated States of Micronesia
." Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia Washington DC. Retrieved on 23 February 2018. *

Weno High School Weno, formerly Moen, is an island municipality of Chuuk State of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It is the largest town in the FSM. It has an estimated area of 20 square kilometers. Population The population was 13,856 at the cens ...

Private secondary schools: * Berea Christian High School - Weno * Saramen Chuuk Academy *

- Weno * Mizpah Christian High School * US Navy 080831-N-8878B-345 An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter flies over the waters of Micronesia

Seventh Day Adventist Mission School\ Private primary schools: * Pentecostal Light House Academy * Saint Cecilia School * Seventh Day Adventist Mission School

Tourism

Chuuk State received the largest number of visitors of any of the Federated States of Micronesia. However, tourism is relatively under-developed. In the FSM's Development Plan for Chuuk, published in 2016, factors which disadvantaged the development of tourism in Chuuk included a lack of infrastructure, in particular irregular ferries between islands and a lack of regular electricity supplies on all islands apart from Weno. The report recognized that it is primarily Chuuk's underwater assets that would bring tourism, including its marine diversity and the Second World War shipwrecks around the coast. Where tourism does exist, it is reliant on the diving industry, which was established in the islands by Kimiuo Aisek. A legacy of his work to make Chuuk a dive destination was the establishment of the

Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum is a museum in Chuuk State, in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is the first museum to be established on the island. Background The museum opened on 13 September 2014 and is located next to the Blue Lagoon D ...

. The American attacks on the

Japanese fleet The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

in 1944 were such that today

Truk lagoon Chuuk Lagoon, previously Truk Atoll, is an atoll in the central Pacific. It lies about northeast of New Guinea, and is part of Chuuk State within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). A protective reef, around, encloses a natural harbo ...

is the largest underwater

military cemetery A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

in the world (60 ships and 400 aircraft scattered over several kilometers), which attracts divers from all over the world. The diving conditions are very good (visibility 15-40 meters, variations in depth, minor currents, 700 varieties of fish, generous coral). However, this source of income is jeopardized by preservation issues, from rapidly disintegrating carcasses to dynamite fishing that rapidly destroys whole sections of the

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

References

External links

Chuuk (Truk) Visitors Center

NOAA's National Weather Service – Chuuk, FSM

Chuuk State Government System

Chuuk State Strategic Development Plan 2018 to 2023
{{Authority control States of the Federated States of Micronesia