Today we head to another tiny island nation, the Federated States of Micronesia (or simply Micronesia as I’ll refer to it in this post). Micronesia consists of 607 islands yet has a land area smaller than Singapore.
Despite having such a small landmass, Micronesia has 2,600,000 km of territorial waters in the Pacific Ocean giving it the 14th-largest exclusive economic zone of any country.
Micronesia has a small population of only 104k, and is also one of the world’s least-visited countries, only receiving approximately 30,000 visitors a year. I can understand why. I just looked at flights to Chuuk and we’re looking at 40+ hours and €4,000 in financial damage. In economy.
Micronesia was colonised by Spain in 1886 who shortly after sold the islands to Germany in 1899. During World War One, Japan then invaded and occupied the islands from 1914 until 1944 at which point they were administered by the United States. Micronesia was a colony of the US until 1986.
There are still quite a few signs of Micronesia’s 20th-century turmoil underwater. Truk Lagoon is home to over 60 sunken Japanese warships destroyed by American forces in 1944. It’s a diving spot like no other, provided you’re okay with a 40-hour flight.
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