Pohnpei-Between Time & Tide . Kaselehlie! Welcome to Pohnpei!


An Introduction to Pohnpei (pone·pay)

ohnpei suffers the misfortune of being frequently confused with the ancient Italian city that was buried by volcanic ash. This is partly due to a common mispronunciation of the name, which sounds a lot like Pompeii. Yet, Pohnpei (pronounced pone-pay), has nothing to do with Italy and is, in fact, on the opposite side of the world. But where exactly?

A couple thousand miles west and south of Honolulu, one comes to the oceanic region commonly referred to by geographers as Micronesia⁽¹⁾. Micronesia includes six major island nations: the republics of Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Nauru; the Federated States of Micronesia; and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. The Federated States of Micronesia⁽²⁾ is made up of more than 600 islands scattered like emerald jackstones across over 1.5 million square miles of the bluest water in the Pacific. Though the F.S.M. claims an area of ocean two-fifths the size of the U.S. mainland, amazingly, all its islands combined make up only 271 square miles of land---about a quarter of the size of Rhode Island! The far-flung islands of the federation---mostly low coralline atolls with palm-lined beaches and a few high volcanic islands with impressive mountain ranges---are divided into the four states of Yap, Chuuk (chook), Pohnpei, and Kosrae (koh·shy). Pohnpei State is named after its most prominent island, which alone accounts for almost half of all the land in the federation.

A VISUAL COMPARISON OF THE F.S.M. & U.S.A.

One of the most costly locations to reach on earth, Pohnpei is accessible by exactly one airline--CONTINENTAL MICRONESIA. Though the term 'South Pacific' has long been sloppily applied to many islands that lie nowhere near the South Pacific, Micronesia---like Hawaii---is actually located north of the equator. Three thousand miles southwest of Honolulu lies arguably the most beautiful island jewels in existence. Pohnpei--Ascension Island⁽³⁾. Like a great altar rising up from the deep, Pohnpei lives up to its names. It is nothing short of the living dream of all romantic, idealistic minds. The first impression is perhaps that it can't be real. But there it is. A hulking green mass of steaming vegetation fourteen miles in diameter, punctured by clusters of daunting forested mountains with white tropic birds reeling lazily high above their slopes. Pohnpei Island is perched smack-dab in the middle of a lake of azure glass that ripples when the breeze comes up. Pierced by a scattering of smaller islets, the great lagoon stretches out a mile or two to its coralline boundary at the encircling barrier reef.

(1) MICRONESIA means small islands and refers to both a region in the Pacific and a specific nation. Geographers group the islands in Micronesia together, because of their cultural, historical, and linguistic similarities. Other Pacific regions include Polynesia to the east and Melanesia in the south.

(2) The F.S.M. was established in 1979 and entered into a compact of free association with the United States in 1986. Pohnpei voted against the compact, but was overruled by the other three states.

A whaling ship in Micronesian waters, circa 1820 (3) ASCENSION ISLAND was the name given Pohnpei by whalers and traders who frequented the area in the 1800's. It has also been known as Quirosa, Morris Island, and Pouynipeti (a tortured transliteration of the true name).

Text by Alex Zuccarelli 2004.
Image/Photo Credits: Lagoon photo courtesy of Cheri Zuccarelli ©1999. FSM girl photo courtesy of Jane Resture-original source unknown. Ship illustration Elisee Reclus, OCEANICA (New York 1890). Gallery; 1 courtesy of Cheri Zuccarelli ©1999, 2 courtesy of Jay Karolyi ©2000-01, 3 ©Trust Territory of the Pacific Archives, 4 courtesy of Daniel Moor ©1999. All other photos, maps and images property of Alex Zuccarelli.
All photographs on this page were used with the written permission of their perspective owners, except where otherwise indicated. In a few cases--typically old, historical photos--I was not able to determine the original source or photographer.

Primary Sources

Alkire, William H.
1972. An Intro to the Peoples & Cultures of Micronesia. University of Victoria: British Columbia.
Ashby, Gene
1993. Pohnpei: Island Argosy. Rainy Day Press: Eugene.
Bernart, Luelen, John L. Fischer, Saul H. Riesenberg and Marjorie G. Whiting, translators and editors
1977. The Book of Luelen. National University Press: Canberra.
Fischer, John L.
1957. The Eastern Carolines. Pacific Science Board: New Haven.
Hanlon, David
1987. Upon a Stone Altar. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu.
Hezel, Francis X.
1983. First Taint of Civilization: A History of the Caroline and Marshall Islands in Pre-Colonial Days 1521-1885. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu.
Hezel, Francis X.
1995. Strangers in Their Own Lands. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu.
Levesque, Rodrigue, compiler and editor
The History of Micronesia, Vol. 3: First Real Contact 1596-1637. (A collection of source documents)
Levy, Neil M.
1996. Micronesia Handbook. Moon Publications, Inc.: Chico.
Merlin, M., D. Jano, W. Raynor, T. Keene, J. Juvik & B. Sebastian
1992. Tuhke en Pohnpei (Plants of Pohnpei). Department of Education, Pohnpei State, Office of Historic Preservation, FSM & Environment and Policy Institute, East-West Center, University of Hawaii.
O’Connell, James F., Saul H. Riesenberg, Ed.
1972. A Residence of Eleven Years in New Holland and the Caroline Islands (1820’s). Australian National University Press, Canberra.
Ward, Martha C.
1989. Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology on a Tropical Island. Waveland Press, Inc., Prospect Heights.

On-Line Resources