PingelapPingelap is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean, part of Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia, consisting of three islands: Pingelap Island, Sukoru and Daekae, linked by a reef system and surrounding a central lagoon, although only Pingelap Island is inhabited. The entire system has a land area of 1.8 km2 (455 acres) at high-tide, and is less than at its widest point. The atoll has its own language, Pingelapese, spoken by most of the atoll's 250 residents. The first European observer of the islands was Captain Thomas Musgrave in the ship .
Carolinian languageCarolinian is an Austronesian language originating in the Caroline Islands, but spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is an official language (as well as English) of the Carolinian people. Carolinian is a threatened language according to the Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat), but available data is scarce. There are approximately 3,100 native speakers in the world. Carolinian has 95% lexical similarity with Satawalese, 88% with Woleaian and Puluwatese; 81% with Mortlockese; 78% with Chuukese, 74% with Ulithian.
Yap StateYap State (Nam nu Wa'ab or Nam nu Waqab, State of Yap), is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The other states are Kosrae State, Pohnpei State, and Chuuk State. Colonia is the capital of Yap State, which administers both the Yap Main Islands and the island of Satawal, as well as fourteen atolls reaching to the east and south for some . Historically, a tributary system existed between the Neighboring Islands and the Yap Main Islands.
Pohnpeian languagePohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with another 10,000-15,000 (estimated) living off island in parts of the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam. It is the second-most widely spoken native language of the Federated States of Micronesia. Pohnpeian features a "high language" including some specialized vocabulary, used in speaking about people of high rank.
PalikirPalikir (ˈpælᵻkɪər) is the capital city of the Federated States of Micronesia located in the western Pacific Ocean. A town of slightly under 5,000 residents, it is part of the larger Sokehs municipality, which had a population of 6,647 , out of the nation's total population of 106,487. It is situated on the northwest side of Pohnpei island (population 34,789), a high volcanic island surrounded by a fringing coral reef. Nearby to the northeast is the island's largest settlement, the coastal town of Kolonia.
Mariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands (ˌmæriˈɑːnə ; Manislan Mariånas), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east. They lie south-southeast of Japan, west-southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea and east of the Philippines, demarcating the Philippine Sea's eastern limit.
Yapese peopleThe Yapese people are a Micronesian ethnic group native to the main island of Yap. Yapese culture is built on the maxim: Respect and Responsibility. Aspects of traditional Yapese culture are still important in modern Yapese culture. Before coming into contact with Europeans, the Yapese people were familiar with surrounding island groups. Yapese sailors traveled to Palau to quarry stones. Carolinian people visited Yap during times of crises. Spanish and German traders colonized Yap in 1885 and started converting the people to Christianity.
KoloniaKolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. It has 6,074 people. Kolonia Town is located in the north central section of Pohnpei Island. It was formerly part of Nett municipality but has been a separate municipality since May 1965. The population of the town was 6,074 (2010 Census).
Pingelapese languageThe Pingelapese language is a Micronesian language native to Pingelap, an atoll belonging to the state of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This atoll is the homeland to the Pingelapese people, consisting of a three-square mile range of uninhabited small coral islets, Daekae and Sukora, and the inhabited islet, Pingelap. These islands partially make up the Caroline Islands. Because of natural disasters and emigration consequent to European and U.S. influence, the local population of the Pingelapese people is small.
Rai stonesA rai stone (raay), or fei stone, is one of many large artifacts that were manufactured and treasured by the native inhabitants of the Yap islands in Micronesia. They are also known as Yapese stone money or similar names. The typical rai stone is carved out of crystalline limestone and shaped like a disk with a hole in the center. The smallest may be in diameter. The largest extant stone is located on Rumung island, near the Riy village; it is in diameter and thick, and weighs .
