The state of coral reef ecosystems of the Federated States of Micronesia : 2005 & 2008

From east to west, the Freely Associated States include the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of Palau. The FSM and Palau are known as the Caroline Islands, which span 2,500 km and are among the longest island chains in the world. All of these Micronesian islands were formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands administered by the United States after World War II (WWII). All three countries achieved independence within the past 25 years but retain close economic and strategic ties to the U.S. (Hezel, 1995). Although the process was initiated as early as 1979, the Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and the RMI and FSM did not go into effect until 1986; the Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and the Republic of Guam was effective in 1995