FSM National Government

GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

The Executive Branch is charged with the management and operations the National Government with the executive powers of the National Government vested in the President. The President is the Head of State and Head of Government for the Federated States of Micronesia. The President is assisted by the Vice President and both are elected by the FSM Congress from among the at-Large Members to serve a four-year term.

The President nominates the heads of the National Departments and submits to the Congress for approval. The heads of the national Departments and certain offices serve as advisors to the President and are collectively known as the President’s Cabinet.

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

JUDICIAL BRANCH

REGIONAL

INTERNATIONAL

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STATE GOVERNMENT

THE STATES

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an independent, sovereign nation made up of the four states, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap.

Chuuk, formerly known as Truk, has a land area of about 49.2 square miles and includes seven major island groups. Pohnpei, formerly known as Ponape, has about 133.4 square miles of land. Almost all of that total is accounted for by Pohnpei island, the largest in the FSM. Pohnpei also includes the outlying island groups of Pingelap, Mokil, Nukuoro, and Kapingamarangi. Yap is made up of 4 relatively large islands, 7 small islands, and 134 atolls, with a total land area of about 45 square miles. Kosrae, formerly known as Kusaie, is essentially one high island of 42.3 square miles.

Each state governments under their constitutions are structurally similar, all utilizing three co-equal branches of government, the executive, legislative and judicial. Each of the state constitutions contain provisions recognizing and preserving local custom and tradition.

CHUUK GOVERNMENT

KOSRAE GOVERNMENT

The State of Kosrae is one of the four states that make up the Federated States of Micronesia, along with the states of Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Yap. Kosrae is the eastern-most island in the FSM, located approximately 600 kilometers southeast of Pohnpei.

Kosrae is a 109 square kilometer island surrounded by a reef. Kosrae is circular in shape, measuring only 16 kilometers across at its widest point, and it is the only state without an outer island.

Kosrae's main natural resources are the abundant marine resources surrounding the island and the beautiful lush green island which has significant agricultural potential. The island is mountainous with a dense jungle, with white coral sand beaches around the rim. Kosrae is known for its citrus fruit which includes delicious oranges, tangerines, and limes.

Legend has it that Kosrae was shaped by the gods from the transformed figure of a sleeping lady. Indeed, the skyline from many parts of Kosrae reveal the silhouette of a female body.

Kosrae State has its own constitutional government with three co-equal branches of government consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

The Executive Branch is headed by a Governor and Lt. Governor who appoint their own cabinet members and are primarily responsible for executing the laws and administering state government services. See, Art. V of the Kosrae Constitution.

The legislative or law making power of the state is vested in the Kosrae Legislature whose jurisdiction extends to all rightful subjects of legislation not inconsistent with its constitution. The Legislature is composed of 14 Senators who are elected by the voters of the electoral districts of Lelu, Malem, Tafunsak, and Utwe. See, Art. IV of the Kosrae Constitution.

The judicial power of the State is vested in the Kosrae State Court and such inferior courts as may be created by law. The judiciary interprets the constitution and laws of the state. The decisions of the Kosrae State Court are appealable to the Appellate Division of the FSM Supreme Court as stated in Art. VI, Sect. 6, of the Kosrae Constitution. See, Art. VI of the Kosrae Constitution.

POHNPEI GOVERNMENT

YAP GOVERNMENT

The State of Yap is one of the four states that make up the Federated States of Micronesia, along with the states of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Kosrae. Yap is the Western-most island in the FSM, located about midway between Guam and Palau.

Yap is comprised of the main islands of Yap, Gagil, Tomil, and Rumung. Yap State stretches eastward, for another 1,200 or so kilometers and includes another 134 outer islands, most of them low-lying atolls.

The Yapese were seafaring people who sailed vast distances over the Pacific. Even in recent times, canoes from Yap have sailed to the Marianas, Okinawa, and Palau. The trip to Palau was made to re-enact the quarrying of stone money. In centuries past, Yapese made the life-threatening 1000 kilometer round trip voyage to Palau's Rock Islands to quarry the now famous stone money. Yap is probably best known for this stone money - huge disks of crytalline stone. These stone disks measure up to two meters in diameter, and weigh as much as four tons, making them the world's largest currency.

Yap State has its own constitutional government with three co-equal branches of government consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Yap also has traditional leaders that serve in the Council of Pilung and the Council of Tamol which perform functions concerning tradition and custom. See Art. III of the Yap State Constitution .

The Executive Branch is headed by a Govenor and a Lt. Governor and they are primarily resposible for executing the laws and administering state government services. See Art. VI of the Yap State Constitution.

The legislative power of the State is vested in the Legislature. Such power extends to all rightful subjects of legislation not inconsistent with the Yap Constitution. The Legislature is composed of ten members, who shall be elected by the qualified voters of their respective election districts. See Art. V of the Yap State Constitution.

The judicial power of the State is vested in its State Court, and other courts as may be created by law. The State Court is the highest court of the State and consists of a Chief Justice and two Associate Justices. The number of Associate Justices may be increased by law upon the request of the State Court. Retired justices may serve temporarily on the State Court at the request of the Chief Justice. See Art. VII of the Yap State Constitution.

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Diplomatic Relations

Treaties/Conventions

Please note: The following page lists multilateral treaties and conventions which the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has signed or is a party to. The page only includes those treaties and conventions which are registered with the United Nations and does not include bilateral agreements (= agreements between two states).

The page does not contain any information on the listed treaties/conventions. If you do look for such information, please consult the appropriate search engines on the world wide web. The Government of the FSM does not guarantee the accuracy or comprehensiveness of the information on the page.

The first item listed is the name of the respective treaty/convention (or protocol thereto). The second item lists action in respect to the Federated States of Micronesia (Signature, Accession, Acceptance, Ratification, etc). If a link is offered, it will show the relevant document of the treaty action.

If a date is specified under Signature, then it refers to the day at which the FSM has signed the treaty/convention. All other dates listed refer to the entry into force for the FSM (the day since when the treaty/convention has become binding for the FSM). This date is different from the date on the relevant documents.

Countries With Which the Federated States of Micronesia Has Established Diplomatic Relations

Country	Date Established	Country Ambassador	FSM Ambassador
United States of America	11/3/86	Resident	Resident
Republic of the Marshall Islands	2/26/87
Republic of Nauru	4/10/87
Tuvalu	3/3/88
New Zealand	6/30/88	Non-Resident
Australia	7/6/88	Resident
Fiji	8/5/88		Resident
Papua New Guinea	9/21/88	Non-Resident
State of Israel	11/23/88	Non-Resident	Non-Resident
Republic of Kiribati	12/9/88
Japan	8/5/88	Resident	Resident
Republic of the Philippines	1/10/89
Kingdom of Tonga	8/1/89
People's Republic of China	9/11/89	Resident	Resident
Independent State of Samoa	3/13/90
Republic of Chile	3/31/90
Solomon Islands	4/5/90
Vanuatu	4/19/90
Republic of Korea	4/5/91	Non-Resident
Republic of Indonesia	7/16/91
Singapore	8/26/91
Maldives	10/24/91
Brunei Darussalam	2/23/92
Thailand	3/20/92
Federal Republic of Germany	4/21/92		Non-Resident
Republic of Cyprus	5/5/92
Republic of Peru	5/7/92
Kingdom of Spain	5/11/92	Non-Resident
Austria	7/1/92
Malaysia	7/6/92
Kingdom of Sweden	8/17/92
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	8/31/92	Non-Resident
Republic of Colombia	9/8/92
Italy	11/27/92
French Republic	2/5/93	Non-Resident
Republic of Guatemala	5/13/92
Republic of Argentina	7/27/93
The Holy See (Vatican City)	1/27/94
Republic of Palau	10/1/94
Portugal	3/24/95
Cambodia	5/2/95
Viet Nam	9/22/95
The Netherlands	4/15/96
Republic of Greece	4/30/96
Belgium	10/28/96
Republic of India	11/29/96		Non-Resident
Republic of South Africa	12/12/96
Sov. Military Order of Malta	11/12/97
Canada	3/3/98	Non-Resident
Russian Federation	3/9/99
Ukraine	9/17/99
Republic of Croatia	9/30/99
Mexico	9/27/01
Switzerland	4/22/03
Iceland	9/27/04
Czech Republic	10/06/04
Ireland	10/27/04
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	11/30/04
Slovak Republic	9/13/06
Republic of Turkey	12/06/06
Dominican Republic	10/5/07
Luxembourg	4/24/08
Finland	5/3/10
Arab Republic of Egypt	9/25/10
Kingdom of Morocco	10/13/10
Federative Republic of Brazil	10/25/10
Slovenia	3/29/11
Georgia	8/12/11
Hungary	9/7/11
Uruguay	9/5/13
Montenegro	9/10/13
Republic of Kosovo	9/17/13
Lithuania	11/4/13
Mongolia	12/6/13
Cook Islands	9/24/14
Republic of Latvia	2/25/15
Republic of Poland	3/6/15
Cuba	9/9/15
Republic of Kazakhstan	10/27/15
State of Kuwait	9/2/16
United Arab Emirates	9/14/16
Republic of Armenia	9/21/17
Republic of Mauritius	10/10/17
Republic of Paraguay	10/11/17