Not long ago I mentioned Micronesians in a blog and I'm not sure why. It just seems to be one of those words that is lodged in my brain and, when I have a mental hiccup, it pops out to fill the empty space. I've often wondered if the people of Micronesia were diminutive in size, so, today, I did a little sleuthing to clear up the many rumors in my head surrounding this region.

I quickly learned that the actual name of this territory is the Federated States Of Micronesia, which has a rather futuristic feel to it, and that they have been independent since 1986 (prior to this time they were a UN Trust territory). More than 600 islands make up the territory including the four main islands of Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae. And here, for many years, I thought that a friend's reference to "the giant stone coins of the Yap Islanders" was either a Dr. Seuess flashback or nonsense. Now I know there is a Yap Island and the size of their currency might yield clues as to the size of the islanders, yes?

The islands are located in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia, so a day trip to Micronesia is going to be out of the question. The territory suffers from the same problems that many tropical regions do - overfishing of their waters, typhoons, and a location outside the delivery range of Domino's Pizza. However, as large portions are low-lying, they will be relieved to learn that, according to several recent blogs I've read, global warming is a myth, so they are safe from submersion. On a personal note, the debunking of global warming as a threat is disappointing as I have invested heavily in property in Kentucky, hoping to develop a beachfront community at some future date.

Other facts I learned regarding the Micronesians is that they consist of nine ethnic Polynesian groups, are equally likely to be either Catholic or Protestant, have a literacy rate of 89%, and only have cellular service on three islands. So, although they are slightly less literate than Americans, I'm guessing that the average Micronesian is more likely to be reading a book right now than yammering into a cellphone. This is a hallmark of a civilized society.

It sounds like life is a bit harsh in Micronesia with a high unemployment rate and a dependence on foreign aid. However, as their primary natural resource is high-grade phosphate and there are few (if any) Muslims, they probably don't have to sweat the possibility of Dubya going all regime change on their asses for oil or as a target in his war on terror. And since English is the official language, the Micronesians probably get a chuckle out of his inability to articulate as well.

Of course, it's impossible to summarize an entire territory in a single blog entry and I still have yet to find an answer to my original query regarding whether a Micronesian Olympic basketball team would have the size for a traditional line-up or one more akin to Villanova's four guard attack.

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