Pohnpei

Pohnpei

Map of Pohnpei
Geography
Coordinates	06°54′00″N 158°13′30″E / 6.90000°N 158.22500°E / 6.90000; 158.22500
Archipelago	Senyavin Islands
Adjacent to	Pacific Ocean
Area	334 km2 (129 sq mi)
Highest elevation	782 m (2566 ft)
Highest point	Mount Nanlaud
Administration
Federated States of Micronesia
State	Pohnpei
Largest settlement	Kolonia (pop. 6,074)
Demographics
Population	36,832 (2020)

Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, from Pohnpeian: "upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei)") is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Major population centers on Pohnpei include Palikir, the FSM's capital, and Kolonia, the capital of Pohnpei State. Pohnpei is the largest island in the FSM, with an area of 334 km² (129 sq mi), and a highest point of 782 m (2,566 ft), the most populous with 36,832 people, and the most developed single island in the FSM.

Pohnpei is home to the megaliths and ruined city of Nan Madol, built of artificial islands off the island's eastern shore beginning in the 8th or 9th century. An important archaeological site, it was declared a national historic site in 1985.

Pohnpei contains a wealth of biodiversity. It is one of the wettest places on Earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 7,600 mm (300 in)^[1] each year in certain mountainous locations. It is home to the ka tree (Terminalia carolinensis) found only in Pohnpei and Kosrae.^[2]