Micronesia (from , mikrós, “small” + , nēsos, “island”) is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, Polynesia to the east and Melanesia to the south. The region has a tropical marine climate, and is part of the Oceania ecozone. There are four main archipelagos along with numerous outlying islands. Micronesia is divided politically among 6 sovereign countries — one of which being the Federated States of Micronesia, which is usually also called simply “Micronesia” for short, though it is important not to confuse the country with the overall region which englobes it as well as islands belonging to five other sovereign countries. Aside from the country Micronesia, the Micronesia region encompasses 4 other sovereign, independent nations: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau, as well as three U.S. territories: Guam, Northern Marianas, and Wake Island. Micronesia began to be settled several millennia ago, although there are competing theories about the origin and arrival of the first settlers. The earliest known contact with Europeans occurred in 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan reached the Marianas. The coinage of the term “Micronesia” is usually attributed to Jules Dumont d’Urville’s usage in 1832, however Domeny de Rienzi had used the term a year previously.
