Micronesia, means "small islands" and is the collective name given to the two thousand, tiny, tropical islands and a myriad of coral atolls, scattered over an area of more than three million square miles of the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and The Philippines. Although stretched across an area larger than the continental United States, the 2,000 plus islands of Micronesia have a combined land area of a mere 3,100 square km and fewer than 100 of these islands are inhabited. The islands and atolls are the culminating result of volcanic activity, which took place millions of years ago. Many of the islands are the summits of huge, underwater mountains, or rims of sunken volcano craters, peaking through the water surface, forming tropical lagoons.
The area of the Pacific that is home to the islands of Micronesia is expansive and has a list of adventures to match. A hotbed of activity during World War II, these islands are home to some of the world’s most famous wreck dives. Truk Lagoon tops the list with more than 100 wrecks from “Operation Hailstorm” including the 500-foot Shinkoku Maru and 437-foot Fujikawa Maru. Guam was also occupied by the Japanese during the war and has its share of wrecks in Apra harbor. On its west coast divers will find incredible visibility and fabulous diving. In addition to World War II wrecks and incredible reef diving, the Palau archipelago has unique excursions including Jellyfish Lake, where you can swim or snorkel among millions of non-stinging creatures, an experience not-to-be-missed.
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