mikroneja

Mikroneja, known in English as Micronesia, is a subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean comprising thousands of small islands and atolls. It spans several island groups and contains diverse cultures and ecosystems. Geographically, Micronesia lies to the north of Melanesia and to the east of Southeast Asia, and its islands form a broad arc from the Caroline Islands to the Phoenix and Line Islands.

Politically, Micronesia includes four sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Nauru. The Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are nearby territories of the United States. Some definitions also include parts of Kiribati (Line Islands) as part of Micronesia.

The region has been inhabited for millennia by Micronesian peoples. It experienced European exploration, colonial rule by Spain, Germany, and Japan, and after World War II most of it came under the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Independence movements resulted in FSM, Marshall Islands, and Palau gaining sovereignty in the 1980s and 1990s; Nauru became independent in 1968. The Compact of Free Association with the United States governs relations with FSM, Marshall Islands, and Palau; Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands remain U.S. territories.

The region is linguistically diverse, with dozens of indigenous languages such as Chuukese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Palauan, Marshallese, and Nauruan, and English is commonly used as a lingua franca. Christianity is prevalent. Traditional seafaring, navigation, and communal practices shape many cultures.

Economies are small and remote, relying on subsistence farming and fishing, tuna processing, tourism (notably in Palau and parts of FSM), and foreign aid. The area features tropical marine climates, extensive coral reefs, and high biodiversity, but faces environmental threats from climate change, sea-level rise, and extreme weather.