Micronesia

2nd Edition. 112 pages. Size 8?"x11". Illustrated. Includes the Marianas, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Micronesia is a group of islands with a total land area about the size of Rhode Island, yet scattered over an area of the western Pacific Ocean larger than the continental U.S. Micronesia is part of Oceania. It lies northeast of Australia and southwest of Hawaii; Polynesia is to its northeast. Micronesia includes the Caroline, Marshall, and Gilbert Islands, as well as Guam. This Atlas of Micronesia compiles maps and text on various aspects of Micronesian natural, man-made, and human resources. More than 80 black-and-white maps, 16 tables, and 14 photographs are interspersed throughout three main parts. Part 1 covers physical geography, atoll environments, flora, and human history through mid-twentieth-century American expansion into the Pacific and rule in Guam. Part 2 discusses the restoration of indigenous names (e.g., Nauru was named "Pleasant Island" by a British captain in 1798; Germans restored the name Nauru in the 1890s), canoes and navigation, economic development, and climate. Tables here include weather data, employment in tourist-related businesses, and hotel occupancy rates. Part 3 covers the individual islands of Guam, Saipan, and seven other island units that are "representative and vital to their respective areas." Author Karolle is professor of geography at the Micronesian Area Research Center, University of Guam. The Atlas of Micronesia will be a required purchase for any library aspiring to provide information about this part of the world. Used. Very good condition.