MY POSTBOX: FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

Sunday 8 November 2015

FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

The Federated States of Micronesia , abbreviated FSM and also known simply as Micronesia) is an independent republic associated with the United States. It consists of four states – from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae – that are spread across the Western Pacific Ocean. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands (a combined land area of approximately 702 km² or 271 sq mi) that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,678 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,802 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,133 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of Hawaii. While the FSM's total land area is quite small, it occupies more than 2,600,000 km² (1,003,866 sq mi) of the Pacific Ocean. The sovereign island nation's capital is Palikir, located on Pohnpei Island, while the largest city is Weno, located in the Chuuk Atoll. Each of its four states is centered on one or more main high islands, and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls. The Federated States of Micronesia is spread across part of the Caroline Islands in the wider region of Micronesia, which consists of thousands of small islands divided among several countries. The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole.

The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration, but it formed its own constitutional government on May 10, 1979, becoming a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3, 1986, under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Other neighboring island entities, and also former members of the TTPI, formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the Republic of Palau (ROP). The FSM has a seat in the United Nations and has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983. The FSM is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the United States of America, which is wholly responsible for its defense. The Division of Maritime Surveillance operates a paramilitary Maritime Wing and a small Maritime Police Unit. The Compact of Free Association allows FSM citizens to join the U.S. military without having to obtain U.S. permanent residency or citizenship, allows for immigration and employment for Micronesians in the U.S., and establishes economic and technical aid programs.

The islands first used stamps of Germany for the Caroline Islands and then stamps of Japan from 1914 to 1946. The islands then became part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific and used American stamps from 1946. The first stamps of independent Micronesia were issued in 1984 and depicted the four federated states that make up the country, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae, in a se-tenant design. The FSM Postal Service delivers to and picks up mail from retail customers. As part of the special relationship with the United States, the United States Postal Service transports mail between the constituent states of the FSM and between the United States and the FSM. The FSM is also part of the United States ZIP code system, with the same postal rates charged.

German postal services started in the Caroline Islands on October 12, 1899 and consisted of overprinted ("Karolinen") German stamps. The yacht issue was introduced in January 1901. Lack of stamps led to the Ponape issues in 1905 and 1910 when stamps were either split or overprinted to stretch use. The Spanish authorities issued no postage stamps or postmarks for the islands. Germany rapidly set up a postal system once awarded the islands; having received the Carolines on 1 June 1899 as part of the German-Spanish Treaty (1899), on 12 October German stamps overprinted "Karolinen" were issued. At first, the overprint was angled at 48 degrees, then a few months later the angle of the text was changed to 56 degrees. Few examples of these, at either angle, survive today, especially in cancelled condition. By 1900, Yap and Ponape were stops on a regular mail run between German New Guinea and Hong Kong. Initially, the service was operated by the Reich Mail Steamer Lines, with the help of government subsidies, then in 1902 the Jaluit Company took over. The islands became part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific in 1944 and used U.S. stamps until 1983.