ISO 3166 code FM-TRK Area 121.5 km² | Website www.fm/chuuk.htm Population 48,654 (2010) | |
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University College of Micronesia-FSM, Chuuk Similar Federated States of Micronesia, Kosrae, Pohnpei State |
Chuuk state federated states of micronesia fefen island
Chuuk State (also known as Truk) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Yap State. It consists of several island groups:
Contents
- Chuuk state federated states of micronesia fefen island
- Map of Chuuk Federated States of Micronesia
- History
- Geography
- Demographics
- Jesuit mission at Weno
- Spirit possession
- Municipalities
- Faichuk Shichiyo Islands
- Nomoneas Shiki Islands
- Mortlock Islands
- Northwest Outer Islands
- References
Map of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia
Chuuk is the most populous state of the FSM with its 50,000 inhabitants on 120 square kilometres (46 square miles). Chuuk Lagoon is where most people live. Weno island in the Lagoon functions as state capital and is FSM's biggest city.
History
Chuuk was one of six districts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) which were administered by the United States under charter from the United Nations from the end of the Second World War to the mid-1980s. The termination of U.S. administration of the Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Mariana Islands districts of the TTPI occurred on November 3, 1986. The Federated States of Micronesia, including Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei, was established in 1979 and signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. (effective November 3, 1986).
On July 2, 2002, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Chataan caused more than thirty landslides that killed forty-seven people and injured dozens others, in the state's deadliest weather disaster. The landslides occurred throughout the day, some within just minutes of each other.
Geography
To the west is Yap State. To the east are Pohnpei State and Kosrae State is further east.
The main population center of Chuuk State is the Chuuk Lagoon, a large archipelago with mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets on a barrier reef. The two major geographical and dialectic divisions of the Chuuk Lagoon are Faichuuk, the western islands, and Namoneas, the eastern islands.
Chuuk State also includes several more sparsely populated "outer island" groups, including the Mortlock Islands to the southeast, the Hall Islands (Pafeng) to the north, Namonuito Atoll to the northwest, and the Pattiw Region to west. The Pattiw Region is of particular interest in that it has some of the most traditional islands in the Pacific and is culturally related to outer islands of Yap. This group includes the islands of Pollap, Tamatam, Poluwat, and Houk. Today you can still find traditional master navigators—Poluwat and Pollap are considered to have some of the best navigators and ocean-going outrigger canoes in the Pacific. In the islands of the Pattiw Region, and some of the Islands of Yap, you will still find today the last two remaining schools of navigation, Weriyeng and Faaluush. Visiting the Pattiw Region in the west, however, is difficult due to the lack of reliable transportation. Houk probably has the most accessible airstrip in the Pattiw Region, with planes landing every one or two weeks.
Demographics
Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. At the Census held on 1 April 2000, it had 53,595 inhabitants, compared with 34,486 for Pohnpei, 11,241 for Yap and 7,686 for Kosrae; at the Census held on 4 April 2010, it had 48,654 inhabitants, compared with 36,196 for Pohnpei, 11,377 for Yap and 6,616 for Kosrae.
Jesuit mission at Weno
The New York Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) maintains a mission school on the island of Weno in Chuuk. Xavier High School is housed at the former Japanese communications center. It is a coeducational institution, drawing students from all the island groups of the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Palau and the Marshall Islands. Teachers are both Jesuit and lay and come from Micronesia, the U.S., Indonesia, Japan, and Australia. All lay teachers are volunteers.
Spirit possession
Although Chuuk is an overwhelmingly Christian society, traditional beliefs in spirit possession by the dead still exist. Allegedly, these spirits overwhelmingly possess women, and spirit possession is usually brought on by family conflicts. The spirits, speaking through the women, typically admonish family members to treat each other better.
Municipalities
Of the 40 municipalities of the state, 16 fall within the Chuuk Lagoon and 24 in the Outer Islands. In the table below, each is followed by its population at the Census held on 1 April 2000.
Faichuk (Shichiyo) Islands
Faichuk (Shichiyo) Islands:
Nomwisofo Islands:
Nomoneas (Shiki) Islands
Northern Nomoneas (Shiki) Islands:
Southern Nomoneas (Shiki) Islands:
Mortlock Islands
Lower Mortlock Islands (Nomoi Islands):
Upper Mortlock Islands (Eastern Islands):
Northwest Outer Islands
Hall Islands (north):
Namonuito Atoll (Magur Islands) (northwest):
Pattiw Islands (Western Islands):