Pohnpei

Pohnpei

Map of Pohnpei
Geography
Coordinates	06°54′00″N 158°13′30″E / 6.90000°N 158.22500°E / 6.90000; 158.22500
Archipelago	Senyavin Islands
Adjacent to	Pacific Ocean
Area	334 km2 (129 sq mi)
Highest elevation	782 m (2566 ft)
Highest point	Mount Nanlaud
Administration
Federated States of Micronesia
State	Pohnpei
Largest settlement	Kolonia (pop. 6,074)
Demographics
Population	36,832 (2020)

Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, from

Pohnpei is home to the megaliths and ruined city of Nan Madol, built of artificial islands off the island's eastern shore beginning in the 8th or 9th century. An important archaeological site, it was declared a national historic site in 1985.

Pohnpei contains a wealth of biodiversity. It is one of the wettest places on Earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 7,600 mm (300 in)^[1] each year in certain mountainous locations. It is home to the ka tree (Terminalia carolinensis) found only in Pohnpei and Kosrae.^[2]

Name

The name Pohnpei comes from the Pohnpeian language, literally meaning "upon a stone altar". It derives from a Proto-Chuukic-Pohnpeic phrase *fawo ni pei of the same meaning. Cognates in other Micronesian languages include Mokilese Pohnpei and Chuukese Fóónupi.^[3]

Geography

The highest point of the island is

The only land reptiles are a few species of lizard. Originally the only mammals were bats. Pigs, rats and dogs were introduced; pigs have become feral. The lagoons are rich in fish, molluscs, turtles and other marine fauna.

Climate

Pohnpei belongs to the tropical rainforest climate zone (Köppen: Af).^[4] It is one of the wettest places on Earth with an average annual recorded rainfall of 4,775 mm (188.0 in) in towns along the coast and about 7,600 mm (300 in) each year in certain mountainous locations.^[5]

History

The natives of Pohnpei, especially the 'older' generations, often refer to events in their past as having occurred, e.g., in "German times" or "before the Spaniards," which identifies the historical periods:^[7]

Pre-colonial history

The earliest settlers were probably

Pohnpeian historic society was highly structured into five tribes, various clans and sub-clans; each tribe headed by two principal chiefs. The tribes were organized on a feudal basis. In theory, "all land belonged to the chiefs, who received regular tribute and whose rule was absolute." Punishments administered by chiefs included death and banishment. Tribal wars included looting, destruction of houses and canoes and killing of prisoners.[7] Pre-Spanish population estimates are deemed unreliable.^[7]

Earliest European contacts

Pohnpei's first European visitor was Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra on 14 September 1529 shortly before his death, when trying to find the way back to New Spain.^[17] He charted it as San Bartolomé and called this one and the surrounding islands as Los Pintados (literally, "the painted ones" in Spanish) because the natives were frequently tattooed. It was later visited by the navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, commanding the Spanish ship San Jeronimo.^[7] on 23 December 1595; his description is brief, he made no attempt to land.^[18]

19th-century visitors

There is good documentation about Australian sailor John Henry Rowe, who arrived in his barque John Bull on 10 September 1825, though he did not land as his vessel was chased off by native canoes. The first lengthy description of the island and its inhabitants is presented by the Russian explorer

A drastic population decline occurred after 1854, due to a smallpox epidemic.^[7]

During the American Civil War, to counteract the United States blockade of their ports, Confederate States Navy ships hunted Yankee merchant shipping. On 1 April 1865, the CSS Shenandoah surprised four United States whalers at Ascension Island (Pohnpei) and destroyed them all. The local king, Nananierikie, was delighted to receive much of the spoils from this action.^[20]

Spanish rule

By 1886 the Spaniards claimed the Caroline Islands which were part of the

German rule and land reform

During the German administration a fundamental change in land ownership was implemented on Pohnpei and throughout the Carolines. Beginning in 1907, the feudal system, in which all land is held in fief, was gradually replaced with the issuance of individual deeds to land. The chief's economic advantages were thus reduced, and only force of tradition granted a first harvest tribute to chiefs.^[7]

With land holding, taxes came due and new owners, in lieu of payment, were obliged to work 15 days per year on public projects, such as wharf construction, road building, etc. One such work for taxes engagement sparked the

The German census of 1911–12 shows 3,190 Pohnpeians, 585 Central Carolinians and 279 Melanesians. Many of the outer islands were resettled (mainly on Sokehs Island) as a consequence of destructive typhoons in their home islands.

A special census conducted in late 1947 shows a total population of 5,628, of which 4,451 were Pohnpeians, and 1,177 were natives of other Pacific islands. By 1963, the population had grown to nearly 10,000.^[7]

Japanese rule

With the

The island was shelled on several occasions, including by the battleships USS Massachusetts, USS Alabama, and USS Iowa, as well as air attacks launched from USS Cowpens. After the war, Japanese nationals were repatriated to Japan by the US Navy.

United States administration, under United Nations oversight

The Federated States of Micronesia achieved independence in 1986 after being administered by the United States under UN auspices since 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Demographics

The population of the state in 2010 was approximately 36,196. While the majority of the population consider themselves ethnic Pohnpeians, Pohnpei is more

The Pohnpeian language (formerly called "Ponapean") and its dialects are the indigenous languages of Pohnpei. The Federated States of Micronesia government also uses Pohnpeian as a regional language. English and Spanish are spoken in the island.

Administrative divisions

The municipalities on the island of Pohnpei are:

• Kitti, southwest. Includes Ant Atoll
• Kolonia, north
• Madolenihmw, east
• Nett (main island, north/center, formerly including state capital Kolonia
  on the north coast)
• Sokehs, northwest. Also includes Pakin Atoll and Palikir, the national capital
• U
  , northeast

Transportation

Pohnpei International Airport (IATA code PNI) is located near Kolonia, on a small island named Deketik off the northern coast of the main island.

Sport

The FSM is part of the international Olympic movement, originally the work of James Tobin, who now sits on the IOC Executive Board, sending teams to the summer games beginning in 2000 with the Sydney games and continuing every four years to the present with athletes participating in track and field, swimming and weightlifting. The most notable Pohnpeian athlete is marathon runner

Pohnpei's state football team were coached by the world's youngest national football coach, the Englishman Paul Watson, who led the team on a tour of nearby Guam, winning one match against a local team. ^[23] The annual Micronesian Futsal Cup has been established on the island, also the work of Watson.

Pohnpei in fiction

Pohnpei (as Ponape) plays a role in several stories of the

Pohnpei is a central location in South Sea Adventure (1952), the second of Willard Price's Young Adult Adventure Series books featuring Hal and Roger Hunt.^{[citation needed][25]}

Pohnpei, or "Ponape" as it is spelled, is stated as the home island of "Mike" on the popular blog Dunce Upon A Time, authored by BC Woods.^[26]

Education

Pohnpei State Department of Education operates public schools.

Public high schools:^[27]

• Nanpei Memorial High School a.k.a. Kitti High School
• Madolenihmw High School
• Pohnpei Island Central School (former Pacific Island Central School) in
  Nett

Private schools:

• Calvary Christian Academy in Kolonia^[27]
• Ohwa Christian High School in Madolenihmw^[27]
• Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Kolonia^[28]
• Seventh Day Adventist High School in Nett^[27]

Pohnpei Catholic School

Post Secondary Education:

• College of Micronesia-FSM, which has a state campus in each of the four states with its national campus in the capital city of Palikir. The COM-FSM system also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute (FMI) on the Yap islands.

Lidorkini Museum was located in Kolonia, until its closure in 2012.^[29]

Notable residents

Gallery

• 
  Flag of Pohnpei
• 
  Pwusehn Malek (also known as Chickenshit Mountain) in Pohnpei
• 
  Pohnpei lorikeet
• 
  Pohnpei flycatcher
• 
  Pohnpei Airport
• 
  Petroglyphs

See also

• Kapingamarangi
• Pingelap
• Sapwuahfik
• Nukuoro
• Oroluk
• Nan Madol
• US Naval Base Carolines

Notes

References

Further reading

• The Island of the Colour-blind, Oliver Sacks, Publisher: Pan Macmillan (6 June 1997), paperback,
  ISBN 0-330-35234-2
  .
• Pohnpei, an Island Argosy, Gene Ashby, Publisher: Rainy Day Pr West; Revised edition (June 1987), paperback,
  ISBN 978-0-931742-14-9
• Nest in the Wind: Adventures in anthropology on a tropical island, Martha C Ward, Publisher: Waveland Press Inc. (1989), paperback,
  ISBN 0-88133-405-7
• Thomas Morlang: Rebellion in der Südsee. Der Aufstand auf Ponape gegen die deutschen Kolonialherren 1910-1911, Christoph Links Verlag, Berlin, Germany
  ISBN 9783861536048
• David Childress. "The Lost City of the Pacific". Omega Science Digest (March 1986), pp. 48–55, 121.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pohnpei Island.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pohnpei.

• POHNPEI, un estado marítimo-insular en el Océano Pacífico. 1. (in Spanish)
• POHNPEI, uno de los cinco estados que integran la FSM. 2. (in Spanish)
• POHNPEI (Islas Carolinas orientales). 3º parte. (in Spanish)
• Los atolones occidentales de Pohnpei (Estados Federados de Micronesia). 4ª parte. (in Spanish)