Pacific Islands of Micronesia Overview Country Overview Micronesia comprises four archipelagos: the Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands), the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau. Each archipelago is composed of hundreds of island groups, within which there are many islands varying widely in topography. Marshall Islands: Many of the atolls are dotted with Flame of the Forest, hibiscus and different-coloured plumeria flowers. There are also at least 160 species of coral surrounding the islands. There are many historic sites and it is possible to snorkel over World War II wrecks. Federated States of Micronesia: The most important historical sites include The Spanish Wall and Catholic Bell Tower in Pohnpei. The island has some beautiful natural sites such as the waterfalls at Kepirohi and Sahwartik with pools that are ideal for bathing. Northern Mariana Islands: The Northern Marianas host a variety of scenery including beautiful bays, spectacular cliffs, caves and mountains. At Abbas on the northern shore of Tinian, there are blow holes where incoming waves shoot 20 feet into the air. Palau: Babeldaob is Palau’s biggest island. Twenty-seven miles long and 15 miles across at its widest, it is covered in dense foliage. The terrain is varied with steep mountains, freshwater lakes and sand dunes. Visitors can also explore the extraordinary stone monoliths dotted along the coastline, which serve as impressive monuments to Palau’s earliest civilisation. Most hotels serve continental, Japanese, Chinese, Western-style and local cuisine. On some remote islands a visitor might be welcomed with a feast of fish, clams, octopus, langusta, sea cucumber and eels. General Information Area: 7,800,000 sq km (3,000,000 sq miles) of which 1846.3 sq km (721.2 sq miles) is land. Population: See individual entries. GEOGRAPHY: Micronesia comprises four archipelagos: the Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands), the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau. Each archipelago is composed of hundreds of island groups, within which there are many islands varying widely in topography. A more detailed description is given under the individual section for each country. There are three distinct population groups: Malayans who passed through Indonesia and the Philippines; Melanesians coming from the islands of the southwest Pacific; and Polynesians who inhabited the South Pacific. Language: English, Japanese and nine local languages. Religion: Roman Catholic and Protestant with Mormon and Baha’i minorities. Time: See individual sections. Electricity: 110/120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are the US flat two-pin type. Communications:   Telephone IDD is available to any of the islands. See individual entries for country code. Fax Available in all the island states. Internet There is basic access and services on the islands. See individual entries. Telegram 24-hour service available in some areas. Post Airmail to Europe takes approximately ten days. Post offices are located in the centre of each state. Press The Pacific Daily News (Guam) is the main English-language daily newspaper in the region and is distributed throughout all the islands. Further information is provided under individual entries. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.36 9.740 6.195 3.915 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 17.74 11.71 9.645 6.110 Passport/Visa Note: (a) Each of the four constitutional governments is responsible for its own tourism policies, and regulations may be subject to change. (b) On many islands, especially the remoter ones, it is not the possession of documents (necessary though they are) that secures access, but the consent of the islanders. For more details, see the individual sections. Money Currency: US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of US$1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents. Japanese yen are accepted on many islands. Currency exchange: Foreign exchange services are limited on some islands. Credit & debit cards: MasterCard, American Express and Visa are accepted in most hotels and tourist-oriented facilities. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available. Travellers cheques: US Dollar travellers cheques are advised. Currency restrictions: These vary; see individual sections for details. Exchange rate indicators The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the US Dollar against Sterling: Date Nov ’01 Aug ’02 Nov ’02 Feb ’03 £1.00= 1.41 1.52 1.58 1.59 Banking hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1500, Fri 1000-1800. There are some local variations. Public Holidays Some US public holidays are observed in addition to regional public holidays, though there are variations from island to island. See individual sections for main holidays in each region. Health   Special Precautions Certificate Required Yellow Fever 1 1 Cholera 2 2 Typhoid and Polio 3 N/A Malaria No N/A 1: See individual sections for information about yellow fever vaccination requirements. 2: A cholera vaccination is a condition of entry to some of the Pacific Islands of Micronesia. See individual sections for details. 3: Typhoid and para-typhoid vaccinations are strongly recommended. Food & drink: Mains water is normally chlorinated, and whilst relatively safe may cause mild abdominal upsets. Drinking water outside main towns may be contaminated and sterilisation is advisable. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat. Other risks: Hepatitis A and B may occur on some islands and precautions should be taken. Tetanus vaccination is also advised. Dengue fever, including its haemorrhagic form, can occur in epidemics in most islands. Colenterates, poisonous fish and sea snakes can present hazards to bathers. Health care: Health insurance is recommended. There are nine hospitals in the region. Travel - International AIR: The region’s major airline is Continental Micronesia (CS). Approximate flight times: Flight durations from London to destinations in the Pacific vary considerably depending on the route taken. The most common route would include stopovers in Los Angeles and Honolulu; eg the flight time from London to Honolulu is 19 hours 30 minutes and from Honolulu to the Marshall Islands 4 hours 30 minutes. International airports: Saipan (SPN), Guam (GUM) and Koror Babeldaob (ROR) when entering from the north and west, Pohnpei (PNI) from the south and Majuro (MAJ) from the south and east. Regional airlines: Scheduled inter-island travel, charters and sightseeing are offered by several local airlines. There is excellent provision for travelling from Guam, Saipan and Majuro to the various islands. Flights between the islands tend to be rarer. Airlines include: Air Marshall Islands (CW): This government-owned airline runs charters, sightseeing tours and point-to-point flights between Majuro and other islands in the Marshalls; also international flights to Honolulu, Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu. Continental Micronesia (CS): Operates between islands in all four groups, and to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Japan. Several smaller airlines fly to Guam. The Visit the South Pacific Pass is valid for many airlines operating in the South Pacific, including most of the larger ones, such as Air Caledonie, Air Marshall Islands, Air Nauru, Air Niugingi, Air Pacific, Air Vanuatu, Polynesian Airlines, Qantas, Royal Tongan Airlines and Solomon Airlines. Offering reductions of up to 40 per cent on normal airfares, this sector-based pass allows for flexible island-hopping between the destinations of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu and the more remote Melanesian and Micronesian islands, together with major cities in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) and New Zealand (Chirstchurch, Wellington, Auckland). It is only available for people resident outside of the South Pacific. The journey must be started outside the South Pacific and only one stopover in Australia is allowed. A minimum of two sectors must be bought before departure (extra sectors can be purchased en route). There is a maximum of one pass per person, and passes must be used within six months of the first day of travel. Children under 12 years of age pay 75 per cent of the adult fare. For details and conditions, contact the South Pacific Tourist Organisation (see Contact Addresses section). SEA: The major ports are Pohnpei, Majuro, Saipan, Tuik, Yap and Koror. The following cargo/passenger lines serve the islands: Nauru Pacific, Royal Shipping Co, Daiwa Navigation Co, Oceania Line Inc, P&O, Saipan Shipping Co and Tiger Line. There are numerous boats for touring, ranging from small speed boats to large glass-bottomed boats for fishing, sightseeing, sunset cruising, scuba diving and short-distance travel. A ferry provides service between Saipan and Tinian. Inter-island vessels provide limited and irregular service between Saipan and the smaller islands. Requests for reservations should be directed to the Office of the Government of the following: Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas; Office of Transportation in Majuro, Marshall Islands; Koror, Palau; Kolonia, Pohnpei; Moen, Chuuk and Colonia, Yap. Cabin space is limited, and passengers may be required to sleep on deck (bring own mat). The field trip ships are leased by the governments to private firms, and rates are subject to change. Cruise lines: Princess, Small Ship, Royal Viking and Norwegian American currently offer cruises to the islands. Travel - Internal ROAD: Good roads are limited to the major island centres. Bus: There are no local bus systems other than tourist services. However, public transport is widely available in all the Micronesia district centres in the form of sedans, pickups and jeepneys. Taxi: Inexpensive taxis are available throughout Micronesia. Car hire: Each major centre offers rental cars, either through international or local agents. Documentation: A valid national driving licence is required. Accommodation Accommodation is extremely varied. Rooms are scarce in some districts and single guests may be required to share twin-bedded rooms with other single guests. Sport & Activities There is excellent fishing, hiking and watersports. The islands are particularly appealing for skindivers, as the surrounding waters offer unsurpassed underwater scenery and marine life. See individual sections. Social Profile Food & Drink: Most hotels serve continental, Japanese, Chinese, Western-style and local cuisine. On some remote islands the arrival of a stranger calls for a feast of fish, clams, octopus, langusta, sea cucumber and eels. Breadfruit (pounded, boiled, baked or fried), taro, rice and cassava (tapioca) are popular staples. Among the regional delicacies are coconut crabs and mangrove clams. Although some dining rooms serve buffet-style fare, table service is usual and operates at a leisurely pace. See individual sections for further details. Nightlife: Some hotels have cocktail lounges with live entertainment. In Saipan there are nightclubs featuring music and dancing. Throughout Micronesia there are cinemas in major areas. However, tourists seek their own entertainment for the most part. See individual sections for further details. Special Events: See individual sections. Social Conventions: The Western understanding of private property is alien to many parts of Micronesia and personal possessions should be well looked after, though not necessarily under lock and key; outside main tourist areas, where normal precautions apply, it is usually sufficient just to keep items out of sight. All land, however, does have an owner and before using it, protocol in many areas demands that permission is sought; in places this includes use of footpaths as there is not necessarily immediate right of way. A clearly expressed desire to be courteous will usually see the visitor through. See individual sections for further details. Business Profile Economy: In all four territories subsistence agriculture is a key employer. Copra, coconuts, cassava and sweet potatoes are the major crops: yields are sufficient in some cases to sustain export markets. Fishing is similarly important. The Marshalls and Palau have developed small-scale light industries engaged in food-processing, boat-building and the like. Service economies based on tourism and financial services have generally proved difficult to establish owing to the remoteness of the territories and the lack of infrastructure. Micronesia and the Northern Marianas have gone furthest in their efforts to overcome these obstacles, but the region as a whole continues to rely heavily on foreign aid, mostly from the USA. As members of the Pacific Islands Forum, the islands have agreed to participate in a free trade zone, known as PICTA (Paciufic Island Countries Trade Agreement) to be established in the region in a few years’ time. Business: Lightweight suits or shirt and tie are usually worn. Appointments should be made and calling cards are exchanged. Best time to visit is May to October. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700. Government office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1700. There may be some local variations. Climate With 2000 islands spread over 7.8 million sq km (3 million sq miles) of the Pacific Ocean, the islands have a variety of weather. The period from autumn to winter (November to April) is the most pleasant time, while May to October is the wet season. The climate can generally be described as tropical in this part of the world, but the cooling sea breezes prevent really extreme temperatures and humidity. For regional climate charts see under the individual sections. Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens and rainwear. History and Government History: The area has a turbulent history of foreign control and political change. Despite upheavals and foreign influences from Spanish, German, Japanese and US governments, many people of this vast island area have maintained much of their cultural heritage and traditions, while others have lifestyles inspired mainly by the teachings of 19th-century missionaries. Having come under UN Trusteeship, administered by the USA, at the end of World War II, all of the Pacific Micronesian states have now reached final political settlements. See individual country sections for further details. Government: See individual country sections for further details. 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