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Kolonia is a coastal town and the capital of Pohnpei State in the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compr ...
(FSM). It was also the former FSM capital before being replaced by Palikir in 1989, located nearby to the southwest in the municipality of Sokehs. It has 6,074 people.


Description

Kolonia Town is located in the north central section of Pohnpei Island. It was formerly part of
Nett Nett also written as Net, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. Description Nett is one of the six municipalities located in the main island of Pohnpei. It corresponds to the north-central sec ...
municipality but has been a separate municipality since May 1965. The population of the town was 6,074 (2010 Census). It is the largest population center on Pohnpei and the commercial hub of the island. The land area of Kolonia amounts to 1.5 km², with a large number of buildings lying just outside the town limits.


History

Kolonia's history is deeply marked by Pohnpei's multiple foreign occupiers, and evidence of their former presence is found throughout the town and island. Traditionally, Pohnpei's power center was in
Madolenihmw Madolenihmw is one of the administrative divisions of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. It is located in the central east of the island, to the east of Mount Nahna Laud and south of Mount Kapwuriso. The coast of Madolenihmw includes a large b ...
, on the southeastern part of the island. The area now known as Kolonia was called ''Mesenieng'', which means "face of the wind" or "headwind."
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
first built the town in 1887 as an administrative and military capital and named it ''Santiago de la Ascensión''. A fort, from which ruins known as the Spanish Wall remain, was built to protect the colonial government and garrison. In 1899, as a consequence of the Spanish–American War,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
purchased Pohnpei from Spain along with the rest of the
Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the ce ...
and established district offices in Kolonia. Roads and wharves were built and buildings erected (a church bell tower and cemetery remain), but the town stayed relatively small as few German or other foreign settlers arrived to live on the island. Kolonia and northern Pohnpei were devastated by a
typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
in 1905.
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
occupied Pohnpei in the first weeks of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
as well as other German islands north of the equator. Unlike previous occupiers, the Japanese brought thousands of settlers to Micronesia, who outnumbered the indigenous population on some islands. These settlers, most of whom were
Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...
ns, vastly expanded the infrastructure in addition to establishing settlements elsewhere on Pohnpei. Visitors to Kolonia in the 1930s reported that they were able to walk the length of Namiki Street (now Kaselelhie Street) under shopkeepers' canopies without getting wet in the rain. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, much of Kolonia was destroyed as some 118 tons of
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
bombs, 600 incendiaries and naval artillery targeted the town and island installations. Pohnpei was bypassed during the amphibious island hopping campaigns, but rusting wrecks of Japanese military equipment, downed airplanes and bunkers are still visible throughout the island. The town was rebuilt and expanded during the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
and later the
US Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...
administrations. The
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states compr ...
Constitutional Referendum and the
Compact of Free Association The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (F ...
led to independence in 1986. Today, construction in various parts of town continues and all of Kolonia's primary and secondary streets are paved and street signs erected. Kolonia Town boasts Pohnpei State government offices, public and private schools, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, hotels and houses of worship of various religious denominations.
Pohnpei International Airport Pohnpei International Airport is an airport located on Pohnpei Island (formerly Ponape), the main island of Pohnpei State. It is close to Palikir, the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia. The extension of the Pohnpei International Air ...
(
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tarif ...
code: PNI) is located on the small island Deketik and is connected to Kolonia via the Deketik causeway. The United States,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
and Japan maintain embassies in Kolonia, although the Federation‘s capital is now at Palikir. A number of foreign volunteer groups operate in Kolonia, including the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...
, the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (
JOCV is a government system for dispatching young Japanese volunteers overseas operated by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The program is similar to the U.S. Peace Corps, and includes volunteers in wide range of fields such as agricultur ...
or JICA), WorldTeach, the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, the
Jesuit Volunteer Corps The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) is an organization of lay volunteers who volunteer one year or more to community service with poor communities. JVC works in inner city neighborhoods and rural communities in about 36 different cities throughou ...
, the Spanish Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP), and Pacific Missionary Aviation (PMA).


Climate


Education

Pohnpei State Department of Education operates public schools: * Pohnpei Island Central School (former Pacific Island Central School or PICS)Higher Education in the Federated States of Micronesia
." Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia Washington DC. Retrieved on February 23, 2018.
*Kolonia Elementary SchoolPohnpei Schools
" Pohnpei State Department of Education. Retrieved on February 23, 2018.
*Ohmine Elementary School Private schools: *
Calvary Christian Academy Calvary Christian Academy (CCA) is a private Christian school located in Cresaptown, Maryland in Allegany County. It was established as an outreach of Calvary Baptist Church of Cresaptown in 1973. Purpose Calvary Christian Academy is a school t ...
* Seventh-day Adventist High School * Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School in Kolonia
Lidorkini Museum The Lidorkini Museum was a museum in Kolonia on the island of Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia. History The first iteration of the Lidorkini Museum opened in June 1976, under its former name, Ponape Museum. It closed several y ...
was located in Kolonia until its closure in 2012.


See also

*
Madolenihmw Madolenihmw is one of the administrative divisions of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. It is located in the central east of the island, to the east of Mount Nahna Laud and south of Mount Kapwuriso. The coast of Madolenihmw includes a large b ...
* Kitti (municipality) * U, Pohnpei *
Nett Nett also written as Net, is one of the administrative divisions of Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. Description Nett is one of the six municipalities located in the main island of Pohnpei. It corresponds to the north-central sec ...
* Kapingamarangi * Pingelap * Sapwuahfik * Nukuoro * Mokil * Sokehs * Oroluk * Palikir


References


External links


POHNPEI, uno de los cinco estados que integran la FSM. 2
{{in lang, es Municipalities of Pohnpei Former national capitals