Federated States of Micronesia

6 team members
Adopt-a-country school: Tereora Colleege
Accommodation: Tereora College
Dining: Princess Ann Hall

Capital:   Palikir
Land Area:    701 sq km (600+ islands & attolls)
Languages:     English, languages of component statess
Currency:     US Dollar

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Papua New Guinea.
The country consists primarily of 4 island groups known as Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae with a total land size of 701km².
The capital of FSM is Palikir, on Pohnpei.
The ancestors of the FSM settled the Caroline Islands over 4000 years ago. A decentralised chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralised economic and religious empire centered on Yap.
The Portuguese in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia), and later 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 US under UN auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
FSM has a population of 108, 500 who speak English and the other languages of component states.
The indigenous population is mainly Micronesian, consisting of various ethno linguistic groups.
Each of the four regions has distinct traditions, yet is tied together through historical and common cultural bonds. The importance of the traditional extended family and clan systems are still a prevalent example of this.
On May 10, 1979, four of the Trust Territory districts ratified a new constitution to become the FSM. 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. Currently the nation remains a sovereign state in free association with the US.