Micronesia, a vast and culturally rich subregion of Oceania, encompasses more than 2,100 islands spread across 4.2 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean—an expanse nearly equal in size to the continental United States. Despite its name, meaning “small islands,” which was a colonial imposition by a nineteenth-century French explorer, Micronesia is anything but small. Micronesia’s land area measures 1,700 miles and its water area is about 46,000 miles in size.

This chapter explores the histories, geographies, and Indigenous stories of this oceanic region, with a focus on the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Mariana Islands (including Guåhan, widely known as Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands), Belau (Republic of Palau), Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Wake Island. The chapter also examines how US imperialism shaped and continues to influence the region’s political and cultural landscapes.

At the heart of Micronesia’s identity are its oral traditions and original place names that reflect Indigenous values and worldviews. One creation story of the CHamoru people, for instance, tells of the siblings Pontan and Fo’na, whose sacrifices gave rise to land, sea, and life—highlighting the deep interconnectedness among the people, nature, and the waters.

From the word “Guåhan” (Guam), which means “we have” in the CHamoru language, to “Pohnpei,” meaning “upon a stone altar,” the recovery of native names signals cultural resilience and resistance to colonial erasure.

This module explores Micronesian origins stories, its linguistic entanglements with global powers, ancient matrilineal systems of power, and new colonial relationships that reckon with the ways that Micronesian peoples have long negotiated their presence and belonging in the Pacific Rim.