Caroline Islands

The Caroline Islands, also called the Carolines, are a group of small islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. They lie north of New Guinea. These islands are split between two countries. Most belong to the Federated States of Micronesia, while the far western part belongs to Palau.

Long ago, these islands were known as Nuevas Filipinas or New Philippines. This name came from when they were part of the Spanish East Indies and ruled from Manila in the Philippines.

The islands stretch across a very long distance of about 3,540 kilometers (2,200 miles). The farthest west island is Tobi in Palau, and the farthest east is Kosrae, one of the states of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Description

The Caroline Islands are a group of about 500 small coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines. The distance from Yap, one of the bigger islands, to Manila is about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers). Most of these islands are low and flat coral atolls, but a few stand higher above the water.

Islands of the Carolines

The Caroline Islands, also called the Carolines, are a group of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean, north of New Guinea. Some of the islands in this group include Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Babeldaob, Satawal, Kapingamarangi, Nukuoro, Faichuk, Namonuito, Hall Island, Nomoi Islands, Weno, Rumung, Maap, Kanifay, Ngulu, Nett, Pingelap, and Lelu. These islands are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

People and culture

See also: Micronesian navigation

The people who live in the Caroline Islands speak many different languages. Some of these languages include Pohnpeian, Chuukese, Carolinian, Kosraean, Palauan, Chamorro, and Yapese. There are also people from other places, such as Filipinos and Japanese, living there. English is used for trading and talking with people who speak different languages.

These islanders grow food like fruits, fish, bananas, and taro to eat. On some islands, houses are made from things found nearby, like coconut-palm leaves. Most people there believe in Christianity.

The people of Yap have a special way of showing value. They use big stones as well as shell money.

A skilled navigator named Mau Piailug came from the island of Satawal. He learned special ways to find directions using the stars. In the 1970s, he taught these skills to others.

In 1985, a study looked at how people in the Caroline Islands used a special kind of direction-finding tool called the sidereal compass.

History

Further information: History of the Federated States of Micronesia, History of Palau, and Captaincy General of the Philippines

The Caroline Islands have many stories about their past. On Pohnpei, people tell about three important times before outsiders arrived. These times are called the Mwehin Kawa, the Mwehin Sau Deleur, and the Mwehin Nahnmwarki.

According to legend, leaders called the Saudeleur came from far away. They were the first to bring government to Pohnpei. A visitor named Isokelekel later removed the Saudeleur leaders and started a new system led by tribal chiefs.

The first Europeans to see the Caroline Islands were Portuguese sailors Diogo da Rocha and Gomes de Sequeira in 1525. Spanish explorers came later and named some islands the "Islands of the Kings." In 1686, Francisco de Lezcano named them Las Carolinas after Charles II of Spain.

Spain tried to control the islands in the 1800s but had trouble with other countries. After the Spanish–American War in 1898, Spain sold the islands to Germany. Japan took control during World War I and used them in World War II. After the war, the United States helped the islands until the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau became independent.

In the 1800s, ships that hunted whales sometimes stopped at the islands for water, wood, and food.

Postage stamps

Main article: Postage stamps and postal history of the Caroline Islands

When Germany ruled the Caroline Islands, they made special stamps for the islands to use for mailing letters.

Transportation

People in the Caroline Islands travel by boat or small airplane. Most airfields are too small for big planes. There is one airline called Caroline Islands Air. It runs special flights between nearby islands.

Flora and Fauna

Palau and Yap are special places where a plant called Callicarpa micrantha grows naturally. It is only found there and in the Philippines.

Some plants in the Caroline Islands were discovered and named by scientists a long time ago. For example, a plant called Campnosperma brevipetiolatum was first studied by a botanist named Georg Volkens during his research on Yap in 1901. Another plant, Crinum bakeri, lives only in the Caroline and Marshall Islands and was described by a scientist named Karl Moritz Schumann in 1887.

There are also special types of flowers and snails that can only be found on these islands. To see more plants that grow in the Carolines, you can visit Flora of the Caroline Islands.