The Federated States of Micronesia is composed of the island states of Yap , Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei (Ponape), and Kosrae, all in the Caroline Islands . The islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low coral atolls, with volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk. They are located 3,200 mi (5,150 km) west-southwest of Hawaii , in the north Pacific Ocean.

The ancestors of the Micronesians settled the Caroline Islands over 4,000 years ago. A decentralized chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralized economic and religious empire centered on Yap . European explorers--first the Portuguese in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and then the Spanish--reached the Carolines in the 16th century, with the Spanish establishing sovereignty. The current FSM passed to German control in 1899, then to the Japanese in 1914, and finally to the U.S. under UN auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands .

On May 10, 1979 , four of the Trust Territory districts ratified a new constitution to become the Federated States of Micronesia . The neighboring trust districts of Palau , the Marshall Islands , and the Northern Mariana Islands chose not to participate. The FSM signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. , which entered into force on November 3, 1986 , marking Micronesia 's emergence from trusteeship to independence.

The people of the FSM are classified as Micronesians, although some inhabitants of Pohnpei State are of Polynesian origin. They are actually a heterogeneous mixture with different customs and traditions bound together by recent history and common aspiration.

The cultural diversity is typified by the existence of eight major indigenous languages, although English remains the official language of commerce. The cultural similarities are indicated by the importance of traditional extended family and clan systems found on each island.