In the very northern section of Micronesia and Oceania are the Marshall Islands, a self-governing and independent group of islands formerly under American control. The CIA World Factbook compares the size of the Marshall Islands to that of Washington D.C. The Marshall Islands receive over $1 billion per year in American aid, which is the country's main source of income. The Marshallese people subsist from harvesting plants, fishing and the textile industry. One of the poorest countries in the world, the CIA World Factbook lists the average per capita income as $2,500 per year. The official languages are Marshallese, which is spoken by over 98 percent of its inhabitants, and English.
Guam is the largest island in Micronesia, with an area of 212 square miles. Guam is a territory of the United States that hosts an important US military base in the north Pacific. During World War II, Japan captured Guam from the U.S. only to have it retaken three years later. Guam's economy is largely built around tourism and military spending. The inhabitants of Guam are the Chamorro people who speak a language of the same name. The average per capita income, according to the CIA World Factbook, is just over $15,000, which citizens make from working in the tourism industry, the government or the military. In 1998, the capital city Agana was renamed Hagatna, to recognize the Chamorro pronunciation.
The Federated States of Micronesia consist of a group of over 600 small islands formerly run by the United States and the United Nations. Micronesia consists of four states, Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae and Pohnpei, and has a population of more than 100,000 people. The capital city is Palikir, located on the island Pohnpei. English is spoken nearly everywhere in the FSM, while Chuukese and Pohnpeian are the predominant native Micronesian dialects. One of the poorest countries in the world, the FSN have been heavily dependent on foreign aid since their independence in 1986. There is very little industry in the FSM because of how small and spread out the islands are. Two textile factories are the only heavy manufacturing centers and the economy is based on subsistence farming and service industry labor.
