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Chuuk State
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <h3>Indigenous settlement</h3> <p>Chuuk was first settled by <a href="/facts/Austronesian_peoples/mMTl1M9J">Austronesians</a>, believed to be from the <a href="/facts/Lapita_culture/smSLjKMB">Lapita culture</a> of <a href="/facts/Island_Melanesia/dw8dNnlY">Island Melanesia</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> Archaeological evidence indicates that islands of <a href="/facts/Fefan/r2wtcmJa">Feefen</a> and Wééné Islands had human settlements in the second and first century BCE. Later evidence indicates that widespread human settlements appeared in Chuuk during the 14th century CE, as the <a href="/facts/Chuukese_people/1q54tM33">Chuukese</a> culture was formed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h3>Spanish colonization</h3> <p>The first sighting recorded by Europeans was made by the Spanish navigator <a href="/facts/Alvaro_de_Saavedra/yUceC0XX">Alvaro de Saavedra</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> on board the <i>Florida</i> during August or September 1528. They were later visited by the Spaniard <a href="/facts/Alonso_de_Arellano/pHyftkJz">Alonso de Arellano</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> on 15 January 1565 on board the galleon patache San Lucas. </p><p>As part of the <a href="/facts/Caroline_Islands/7kIzyxFW">Caroline Islands</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Truk was claimed by the <a href="/facts/Spanish_Empire/RaWWgnQS">Spanish Empire</a>, which struggled to control the islands in the late 19th century. The Chuuk Lagoon was then inhabited by <a href="/facts/Chuukese_people/1q54tM33">Chuukese</a> people (an <a href="/facts/Austronesian_peoples/mMTl1M9J">Austronesian</a> group) that participated in intermittent wars, as well as a small population of foreign merchants and missionaries, mostly linked to the <a href="/facts/Catholic_Church/rJ4F4gqH">Catholic Church</a>. Spanish control over the islands was in part nominal. The Spanish stopped to raise a flag over Chuuk in 1886, and returned in 1895 as part of an attempt to assert control and negotiate peace between the tribes of Chuuk. No major Spanish settlement was established and traditional life continued until the German colonial era. </p> <h3>German and Japanese rule</h3> <p>The Caroline Islands were sold to the <a href="/facts/German_Empire/lwQutJyN">German Empire</a> in 1899,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> after Spain withdrew from the Pacific after the <a href="/facts/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War/ScKbBPAv">Spanish–American War</a> in which it lost its main colony in Asia, the <a href="/facts/Philippines/ARpmxXQV">Philippines</a>. Germany incorporated the territory into its domain in the <a href="/facts/German_New_Guinea/m5x0eojD">German New Guinea</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p><p>During World War I, the <a href="/facts/Imperial_Japanese_navy/smLn7IyT">Imperial Japanese navy</a> was tasked with pursuing and destroying the German East Asian Squadron and protecting the shipping lanes of Allied trade in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the course of this operation, the Japanese Navy seized German possessions in the Mariana Islands, the Carolinas, the Marshall Islands and Palau groups by October 1914. Chuuk then became a possession of the Empire of Japan under the mandate of the <a href="/facts/League_of_Nations/PQlcKzXs">League of Nations</a> after the defeat of Germany in World War I. </p> <h3>United States rule</h3> <p>Chuuk was one of six districts of the <a href="/facts/Trust_Territory_of_the_Pacific_Islands/C4Fqc3CU">Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands</a> (TTPI) which were administered by the United States under charter from the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a> from the end of the Second World War to the mid-1980s. The termination of U.S. administration of the Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Mariana Islands districts of the TTPI occurred on 3 November 1986. </p> <h3>Independence</h3> <p>The <a href="/facts/Federated_States_of_Micronesia/U9VGo9fh">Federated States of Micronesia</a>, including Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei, was established in 1979 and signed a <a href="/facts/Compact_of_Free_Association/AyCyg8WC">Compact of Free Association</a> with the U.S. (effective 3 November 1986). </p><p>As of recent times, Chuuk has been pushing harder for <a href="/facts/Separatism_in_the_Faichuk_Islands/G00MMkrd">independence</a>. An independence referendum was originally scheduled to coincide with federal elections on 3 March 2015, but was pushed back to 5 March 2019. The <a href="/facts/2022_Chuukese_independence_referendum/o91NsVf5">independence referendum was further pushed back to March 2022</a>, with a date to be announced, while the constitutional legality of the proposed secession is determined.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="geography">Geography</h2> <p>To the west is <a href="/facts/Yap_State/BM41Rk59">Yap State</a>. To the east are <a href="/facts/Pohnpei_State/7ls4N3EP">Pohnpei State</a> and <a href="/facts/Kosrae_State/3m86AdFL">Kosrae State</a> is further east. </p><p>The main population center of Chuuk State is the <a href="/facts/Chuuk_Lagoon/qrkBLm1o">Chuuk Lagoon</a>, a large archipelago with mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets on a <a href="/facts/Habili/xzeK6yAp">barrier reef</a>. The two major geographical and dialectic divisions of the Chuuk Lagoon are Faichuuk, the western islands, and Namoneas, the eastern islands. </p><p>Chuuk State also includes several more sparsely populated "outer island" groups, including the <a href="/facts/Satawan/YnY68lzV">Mortlock Islands</a> to the southeast, the <a href="/facts/Hall_Islands/a6pHWgt0">Hall Islands</a> (Pafeng) to the north, <a href="/facts/Namonuito_Atoll/tmxLCb16">Namonuito Atoll</a> to the northwest, and the <a href="/facts/Pattiw/0qH1aNKq">Pattiw</a> Region to west. The Pattiw Region is of particular interest in that it has some of the most traditional islands in the Pacific and is culturally related to outer islands of <a href="/facts/Yap/1c8WxeXu">Yap</a>. This group includes the islands of <a href="/facts/Pollap/jD3aFGG6">Pollap</a>, <a href="/facts/Tamatam/Sr7kpyzo">Tamatam</a>, <a href="/facts/Poluwat/d6MCuwPD">Poluwat</a>, and <a href="/facts/Houk/UMCyCN7I">Houk</a>. There are still traditional master navigators—Poluwat and Pollap are considered to have some of the best navigators and ocean-going <a href="/facts/Outrigger_canoe/EGdo6e5p">outrigger canoes</a> in the Pacific. In the islands of the Pattiw Region, and some of the Islands of Yap, are the last two remaining schools of navigation, <a href="/facts/Weriyeng/yp6SN4jP">Weriyeng</a> and Faaluush. Visiting the Pattiw Region in the west, however, is difficult due to the lack of reliable transportation. Houk probably has the most accessible airstrip in the Pattiw Region, with planes landing every one or two weeks. </p><p>The state shares its <a href="/facts/Longitude/HsC61ML9">longitude</a> with <a href="/facts/Sydney/8TegRcwB">Sydney</a>, Australia, namely the eastern portion of the city including the <a href="/facts/Sydney_CBD/pltXArXz">CBD</a>. </p> <h3>Climate</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th colspan="14">Climate data for Weno, Chuuk</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Month</th><th scope="col">Jan</th><th scope="col">Feb</th><th scope="col">Mar</th><th scope="col">Apr</th><th scope="col">May</th><th scope="col">Jun</th><th scope="col">Jul</th><th scope="col">Aug</th><th scope="col">Sep</th><th scope="col">Oct</th><th scope="col">Nov</th><th scope="col">Dec</th><th scope="col">Year</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Record high °C (°F)</th><td>33(91)</td><td>32(90)</td><td>32(90)</td><td>33(92)</td><td>33(91)</td><td>33(92)</td><td>33(92)</td><td>33(92)</td><td>34(93)</td><td>33(92)</td><td>33(91)</td><td>33(91)</td><td>34(93)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily maximum °C (°F)</th><td>29.9(85.8)</td><td>29.9(85.8)</td><td>30.2(86.4)</td><td>30.4(86.7)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.6(87.1)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.7(87.3)</td><td>30.2(86.4)</td><td>30.4(86.7)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Daily mean °C (°F)</th><td>27.4(81.3)</td><td>27.5(81.5)</td><td>27.6(81.7)</td><td>27.7(81.9)</td><td>27.8(82.0)</td><td>27.7(81.9)</td><td>27.4(81.3)</td><td>27.4(81.3)</td><td>27.5(81.5)</td><td>27.6(81.7)</td><td>27.7(81.9)</td><td>27.6(81.7)</td><td>27.6(81.7)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily minimum °C (°F)</th><td>24.9(76.8)</td><td>25.0(77.0)</td><td>25.1(77.2)</td><td>25.0(77.0)</td><td>24.9(76.8)</td><td>24.6(76.3)</td><td>24.2(75.6)</td><td>24.2(75.6)</td><td>24.2(75.6)</td><td>24.3(75.7)</td><td>24.6(76.3)</td><td>25.0(77.0)</td><td>24.7(76.5)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Record low °C (°F)</th><td>21(69)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>22(71)</td><td>22(71)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>20(68)</td><td>19(66)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>21(70)</td><td>19(66)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average <a href="/facts/Precipitation/uq3nGQc8">precipitation</a> mm (inches)</th><td>228(8.98)</td><td>163(6.42)</td><td>230(9.05)</td><td>291(11.46)</td><td>354(13.94)</td><td>301(11.84)</td><td>365(14.37)</td><td>350(13.77)</td><td>307(12.07)</td><td>361(14.23)</td><td>282(11.10)</td><td>293(11.55)</td><td>3,525(138.78)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)</th><td>14.8</td><td>12.2</td><td>14.9</td><td>16.2</td><td>21.2</td><td>20.3</td><td>20.8</td><td>21.0</td><td>18.6</td><td>20.0</td><td>20.0</td><td>18.8</td><td>218.8</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average <a href="/facts/Relative_humidity/Nwb28VlT">relative humidity</a> (%)</th><td>78.7</td><td>77.7</td><td>78.7</td><td>81.0</td><td>82.6</td><td>82.9</td><td>83.9</td><td>83.2</td><td>83.0</td><td>83.1</td><td>81.9</td><td>80.8</td><td>81.6</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean monthly <a href="/facts/Sunshine_duration/wVBusklh">sunshine hours</a></th><td>195.3</td><td>197.8</td><td>217.0</td><td>195.0</td><td>192.2</td><td>180.0</td><td>195.3</td><td>195.3</td><td>177.0</td><td>161.2</td><td>162.0</td><td>167.4</td><td>2,235.5</td></tr><tr><td colspan="14">Source 1: <a href="/facts/Hong_Kong_Observatory/zezLnzSV">Hong Kong Observatory</a> (sun 1961–1990)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="14">Source 2: NOAA <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Typhoon Chataan</h3> <p>On 2 July 2002, heavy rains from <a href="/facts/Typhoon_Chataan/ArR5Utpu">Tropical Storm Chataan</a> caused more than thirty landslides that killed forty-seven people and injured dozens of others, in the state's deadliest weather disaster. The landslides occurred throughout the day, some within just minutes of each other. </p> <h2 id="demographics">Demographics</h2> <p>Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. At the census held on 1 April 2000, it had 53,595 inhabitants, compared with 34,486 for <a href="/facts/Pohnpei/LjxE11wp">Pohnpei</a>, 11,241 for <a href="/facts/Yap/1c8WxeXu">Yap</a> and 7,686 for <a href="/facts/Kosrae/3m86AdFL">Kosrae</a>; at the census held on 4 April 2010, it had 48,654 inhabitants, compared with 36,196 for <a href="/facts/Pohnpei/LjxE11wp">Pohnpei</a>, 11,377 for <a href="/facts/Yap/1c8WxeXu">Yap</a> and 6,616 for <a href="/facts/Kosrae/3m86AdFL">Kosrae</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p> <h3>Religion</h3> <p>The majority of the state's population is affiliated with <a href="/facts/Christianity/nKyJHlqq">Christianity</a> as a result of the activity of missionary groups first from Spain and then from Germany and the United States. <a href="/facts/Catholic_Church/rJ4F4gqH">Catholicism</a> was introduced during the Spanish colonization period, followed by the arrival of various <a href="/facts/Protestantism/NXja4K3g">Protestant groups</a>. The main religious building in the state is the <a href="/facts/Immaculate_Heart_of_Mary/Ay8ADqTT">Immaculate Heart of Mary</a> Cathedral<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> in Tunnuk, <a href="/facts/Weno/tMtfYpY5">Weno</a>, which is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of the Caroline Islands (<i>Diocese Carolinensium</i>) suffragan of the ecclesiastical province of <a href="/facts/Hag%C3%A5t%C3%B1a,_Guam/2C7KAvbu">Agaña</a> in <a href="/facts/Guam/z77Ql3fM">Guam</a>. Other churches in the state include <a href="/facts/Sacred_Heart/n9UhjDLF">Sacred Heart</a> Church on Lekinioch Island, <a href="/facts/Christ_the_King/dgUBgqFS">Christ the King</a> Church in Neiwe, Houk Catholic Church, <a href="/facts/Holy_Family/JzRfa40d">Holy Family</a> Church in Weno, <a href="/facts/Ignatius_of_Loyola/h7SfzBrd">St. Ignatius</a> Church<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> in Fonoton, among others. </p> <h3>Language</h3> <p>The people of the country speak the <a href="/facts/Chuukese_language/HLke7kKl">Chuukese language</a>, a <a href="/facts/Micronesian_languages/fwWkaQcs">Micronesian language</a>. </p> <h2 id="culture">Culture</h2> <h3>Jesuit mission at Weno</h3> <p>The New York Province of the Society of Jesus (the <a href="/facts/Society_of_Jesus/n0PeYBB8">Jesuits</a>) maintains a mission school on the island of Weno in Chuuk. <a href="/facts/Xavier_High_School_(Micronesia)/TNt4NoSs">Xavier High School</a> is housed at the former Japanese communications center. It is a <a href="/facts/Coeducational/TCNhIwrJ">coeducational</a> institution, drawing students from all the island groups of the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as <a href="/facts/Palau/sYXMGPbX">Palau</a> and the <a href="/facts/Marshall_Islands/rRV4U7oD">Marshall Islands</a>. Teachers are both Jesuit and lay and come from Micronesia, the U.S., <a href="/facts/Indonesia/vQnWU3IW">Indonesia</a>, <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, and <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>. </p> <h3>Spirit possession</h3> <p>Although Chuuk is an overwhelmingly <a href="/facts/Christians/15hE11VR">Christian</a> society, traditional beliefs in <a href="/facts/Spirit_possession/DQ2lR7kT">spirit possession</a> by the dead still exist. Allegedly, these spirits overwhelmingly possess women, and spirit possession is usually brought on by family conflicts. The spirits, speaking through the women, typically admonish family members to treat each other better.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p> <h3>Cultural references</h3> <p>There are some references on the <a href="/facts/Chuukese_language/HLke7kKl">Chuukese language</a>, treating guests, and on beliefs in the sci-fi book "Reefsong" from <a href="/facts/Carol_Severance/82c4ILsw">Carol Severance</a>. </p> <h2 id="municipalities">Municipalities</h2> <p>Of the 40 municipalities of the state, 16 fall within the <a href="/facts/Chuuk_Lagoon/qrkBLm1o">Chuuk Lagoon</a> and 24 in the Outer Islands. </p><p>In the table below, each is followed by its population at the 2010 Census:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Chuuk_Lagoon/qrkBLm1o">Chuuk Lagoon</a> (36,158) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Faichuk/3pQXtTjd">Faichuk</a> (11,305) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Eot_(island)/1aaAuX4S">Eot</a> (266)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Fala-Beguets/03z6FQGn">Fanapanges</a> (672)</li> <li>Paata (1,107)</li> <li>Polle (1,498)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Romanum_(island)/0haxmb0w">Romanum</a> (865)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Tol,_Federated_States_of_Micronesia/cYS0391s">Tol</a> (4,579)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Udot_(island)/BpW6Wycw">Udot</a> (1,680)</li> <li>Wonei (638)</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Nomoneas/x6VTn68t">Northern Namoneas</a> (14,620) <ul><li>Fono (388)</li> <li>Piis-Penau (376)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Weno/tMtfYpY5">Weno</a> (13,856)</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Nomoneas/x6VTn68t">Southern Namoneas</a> (10,233) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Fefan/r2wtcmJa">Fefan</a> (3,471)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Param,_Chuuk/6uHjs8Ld">Param</a> (342)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Tonowas/SUIF1Qqh">Tonowas</a> (3,517)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Tsis/eWM8YAqA">Tsis</a> (349)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Uman,_Chuuk/qRIz28dS">Uman</a> (2,554)</li></ul></li></ul></li> <li>Outer Islands (12,496) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Nomoi_Islands/64DSyquh">Mortlocks</a> (5,677) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Etal_Atoll/FA9wt8YB">Etal</a> (672)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Kutu_(island)/fH9S8KQK">Kutu</a> (323)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Losap/j9XK1RtI">Losap</a> (248)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Lukunor/PCApabvP">Lukunor</a> (848)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Moch,_Chuuk/2mAx1qTF">Moch</a> (932)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Nama_(island)/5mASmynY">Nama</a> (676)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Namoluk/4qQWyCYB">Namoluk</a> (355)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Oneop/gkBsATB5">Oneop</a> (400)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pis-Losap/yttfqNVJ">Pis-Losap</a> (258)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Satawan/YnY68lzV">Satawan</a> (692)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ta_(island)/lwjNP9ne">Ta</a> (273)</li></ul></li> <li>Northwest (6,819) <ul><li><a href="/facts/Fananu/THAwS2PY">Fananu</a> (580)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Magur_(island)/10Rs01Yo">Magur</a> (159)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Murilo,_Chuuk/pIpaM9M1">Murilo</a> (329)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Nomwin/t5RpA3Xo">Nomwin</a> (763)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Onari/6tj864hV">Onari</a> (193)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ono,_Chuuk/ynIokvBE">Ono</a> (172)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pisaras/8KY5DhaT">Pisaras</a> (227)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Poluwat/d6MCuwPD">Poluwat</a> (745)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pulap/jD3aFGG6">Pulap</a> (1,168)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Houk/UMCyCN7I">Houk</a> (formerly known as 'Pulusuk')(1,116)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ruo,_Micronesia/hjlIdgNS">Ruo</a> (241)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Tamatam/Sr7kpyzo">Tamatam</a> (493)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ulul/7L4PDtdQ">Ulul</a> (633)</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul> <h2 id="politics-and-government">Politics and government</h2> <p>The State of Chuuk is one of the four federal states of the Federated States of Micronesia. As a <a href="/facts/Democracy/3tLdVS1C">democratic</a> <a href="/facts/Federation/R846sufb">federation</a>, each state has the ability to retain large number of power within the state as well as a certain level of sovereignty typical of federal states. The chief executive of Chuuk is <a href="/facts/Governor_of_Chuuk/056Dxnq4">the governor</a>. Chuuk has a bicameral legislature.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="education">Education</h2> <p><a href="/facts/Chuuk_State_Department_of_Education/JgaPFKxx">Chuuk State Department of Education</a> operates public schools. </p><p>Public high schools:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Chuuk_High_School/KSYgGMNV">Chuuk High School</a> – Weno</li> <li>Faichuk High School</li> <li>Moch High School</li> <li>Mortlock High School</li> <li>Northwest High School (formerly known as 'Weipat'- Onoun Island)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Southern_Namoneas_High_School/ddpM8UNo">Southern Namoneas High School</a> (SNHS)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a></li> <li>Weno High School<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a></li></ul> <p>Private secondary schools:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Berea Christian High School – Weno</li> <li>Saramen Chuuk Academy</li> <li><a href="/facts/Xavier_High_School,_Micronesia/TNt4NoSs">Xavier High School</a> – Weno</li> <li>Mizpah Christian High School</li> <li> Seventh Day Adventist Mission School<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a></li></ul> <p>Private primary schools:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Pentecostal Light House Academy</li> <li>Saint Cecilia School</li> <li>Seventh Day Adventist Mission School</li></ul> <h2 id="tourism">Tourism</h2> <p>Chuuk State received the largest number of visitors of any of the Federated States of Micronesia. However, tourism is relatively under-developed. In the FSM's Development Plan for Chuuk, published in 2016, factors which disadvantaged the development of tourism in Chuuk included a lack of infrastructure, in particular irregular ferries between islands and a lack of regular electricity supplies on all islands apart from Weno. The report recognized that it is primarily Chuuk's underwater assets that would bring tourism, including its marine diversity and the Second World War shipwrecks around the coast.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> Where tourism does exist, it is reliant on the diving industry, which was established in the islands by Kimiuo Aisek.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> A legacy of his work to make Chuuk a dive destination was the establishment of the <a href="/facts/Kimiuo_Aisek_Memorial_Museum/xtVb0zsq">Kimiuo Aisek Memorial Museum</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> </p><p>The American attacks on the <a href="/facts/Imperial_Japanese_Navy/smLn7IyT">Japanese fleet</a> in 1944 were such that today <a href="/facts/Chuuk_Lagoon/qrkBLm1o">Truk lagoon</a> is the largest underwater <a href="/facts/War_grave/mFanpxVo">military cemetery</a> in the world (60 ships and 400 aircraft scattered over several kilometers), which attracts divers from all over the world. The diving conditions are very good (visibility 15–40 meters, variations in depth, minor currents, 700 varieties of fish, generous coral). However, this source of income is jeopardized by preservation issues, from rapidly disintegrating carcasses to <a href="/facts/Dynamite_fishing/Nh9MHbVR">dynamite fishing</a> that rapidly destroys whole sections of the <a href="/facts/Cemetery/kWe6L5n2">graveyard</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Chuuk_Women%27s_Council/s960BuqW">Chuuk Women's Council</a>, a non-governmental women's rights organization based in Weno.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Habele/afshyLeK">Habele</a>, a South Carolina-based charity providing private economic educational assistance in Chuuk.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Chuukese_independence_referendum/o91NsVf5">Chuukese independence referendum</a>, a vote for Chuuk to become independent from Micronesia, which was due to take place in 2022 and has been delayed three times. It has become embroiled in China-USA relations over its proximity to the US military base at <a href="/facts/Guam/z77Ql3fM">Guam</a>.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikivoyage has a travel guide for <i>Chuuk</i>. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chuuk. <ul><li><a href="https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090326012613/http://www.visit-fsm.org/chuuk/">Chuuk (Truk) Visitors Center</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.prh.noaa.gov/chuuk/">NOAA's National Weather Service – Chuuk, FSM</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.fsmlaw.org/chuuk/">Chuuk State Government System</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.spc.int/CoastalFisheries/CFM/Document/ShowDocument/7aca5721-a9db-4610-8726-03b607e985ab?attachment">Chuuk State Strategic Development Plan 2018 to 2023</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Chappell, David A. (12 March 1997). Double Ghosts: Oceanian Voyagers on Euroamerican Ships. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-3695-9. <a href="978-0-7656-3695-9" target="_blank">978-0-7656-3695-9</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Bellwood, Peter (1991). "The Austronesian Dispersal and the Origin of Languages". Scientific American. 265 (1): 88–93. Bibcode:1991SciAm.265a..88B. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0791-88. JSTOR 24936983. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Goodenough, Ward Hunt (1 January 2002). Under Heaven's Brow: Pre-Christian Religious Tradition in Chuuk. American Philosophical Society. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0-87169-246-7. <a href="978-0-87169-246-7" target="_blank">978-0-87169-246-7</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Hinz, Earl R.; Howard, Jim (30 April 2006). Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3037-3. <a href="978-0-8248-3037-3" target="_blank">978-0-8248-3037-3</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Micronesia: A Guide Through the Centuries. Close Up Foundation. 2000. ISBN 978-0-932765-94-9. <a href="978-0-932765-94-9" target="_blank">978-0-932765-94-9</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Hanlon, David L. (30 April 2014). Making Micronesia: A Political Biography of Tosiwo Nakayama. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3847-8. <a href="978-0-8248-3847-8" target="_blank">978-0-8248-3847-8</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Rainbird, Paul (3 June 2004). The Archaeology of Micronesia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65630-6. <a href="978-0-521-65630-6" target="_blank">978-0-521-65630-6</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Europa (2002). The Europa World Year Book 2002. 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Retrieved 12 August 2019. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/chuuk-independence-vote-pushed-back-another-year/10870644" target="_blank">https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/chuuk-independence-vote-pushed-back-another-year/10870644</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>"Climatological Information for Truk, Pacific Islands, United States". Hong Kong Observatory. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113410/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/australia/pacific/truk_e.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113410/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/australia/pacific/truk_e.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"TRUK ISLAND/CAROLINE ISLANDS PI Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 13 December 2012. <a href="ftp://dossier.ogp.noaa.gov/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-V/U1/91334.TXT" target="_blank">ftp://dossier.ogp.noaa.gov/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-V/U1/91334.TXT</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Office of Statistics, Budget and Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management. <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral". GCatholic. Retrieved 13 September 2021. <a href="http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/oceania/1547.htm" target="_blank">http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/oceania/1547.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>"Saint Ignatius Catholic Church church, Chuuk, Micronesia". fm.geoview.info. Retrieved 13 September 2021. <a href="https://fm.geoview.info/saint_ignatius_catholic_church,7669149" target="_blank">https://fm.geoview.info/saint_ignatius_catholic_church,7669149</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Hezel, Francis X. 1993 Spirit Possession in Chuuk: Socio-Cultural Interpretation. Micronesian Counselor 11 <a href="http://www.micsem.org/pubs/counselor/spirpos.htm" target="_blank">http://www.micsem.org/pubs/counselor/spirpos.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"2010 Census Basic Table - Chuuk". Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2021. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230128220310/https://www.fsmstatistics.fm/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PopHseC_details.xlsx" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20230128220310/https://www.fsmstatistics.fm/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PopHseC_details.xlsx</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Chuuk State – Legal Information System of the Federated States of Micronesia". fsmlaw.org. <a href="http://fsmlaw.org/chuuk/index.htm" target="_blank">http://fsmlaw.org/chuuk/index.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"School location Archived 29 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine." Chuuk State Department of Education. 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Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) <a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/le-plus-grand-cimetiere-sous-marin-du-monde-en-micronesie-17-07-2017-7138326.php" target="_blank">https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/le-plus-grand-cimetiere-sous-marin-du-monde-en-micronesie-17-07-2017-7138326.php</a> <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>