Photos of Kosrae, Micronesia

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Kosrae island

Kosrae is the easternmost of the Caroline Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia and its smallest State. It has a land area of 111.3 km² and a population of around 6,600. It was formerly known as Kusaie or Strong’s Island, and there are a few nearby islands and islets, including the inhabited Lelu Island, where also the ancient Leluh ruins are situated. Opposite that small island is the State’s capital, Tofol, in Lelu municipality; the island is now subdivided into four municipalities: Lelu, Tafunsak (including Walung), Utwe and Malem. The official language is Kosraean, but English, the official language of the FSM, is widely used.

Utwa harbour, Kosrae
 
View to Walung, Kosrae
 
Canal in Leluh
 
In the village of Leluh
 
View to Sleeping Lady, Kosrae
 
River with palms, Kosrae
 
View to “Sleeping Lady“, Kosrae
 
Sports day, Lelu School
 
Leluh ruins
 
Basalt blocks, Leluh ruins
 
Leluh church
 
Swimming place on the causeway
 
From the bridge in Utwa
 
Utwa lagoon
 
House at Utwa lagoon
 
View Utwa Harbor
 
Swamp in Utwa
 
Children with coconuts, Utwa
 
Taro and banana plantation
 
Swenson Benjamin
 
View of Utwa Harbor
 
View of Utwa Harbor
 
Walking north to Walung-Saoksa
 
Walking past a house
 
Beach in Walung, Kosrae
 
Children walking to school
 
Walking to class, Walung school
 
Classroom, Walung school
 
Classroom of Walung School
 
Junior children Walung School
 
Students at work, Walung School
 
Making an outrigger canoe
 
Making an outrigger
 
Edison Likiak with fish
 
Houses, Walung
 
Boats, Walung-Saoksa
 
Barbecue in Walung
 
Mr. Kilafwakun, weaving
 
Little bridge, Walung-Saoksa
 
Lagoon and a small hut
 
Kilafwakun on a canoe
 
View to the airport
 
Path to the old mission, Mwot
 
Coconut Palm Hotel, Tofol
 
Tofol High School
 
View from Broadcast Hill
 
View to the High School
 
View over Tofol to Lelu island
 

The island has been settled at least from the start of the first millennium CE. The city of Leluh already existed around 1250 CE. It developed a civilisation that reached its pinnacle around the 14th and 15th centuries. It was a stone city, built from coral and basalt blocks, and it is believed that the rulers in Leluh governed the whole island. The king and aristocracy lived behind high basalt walls - similar to what can also be seen in Nan Madol on Pohnpei; it may well be that these two influenced each other. The ruins can still be seen, but in the wake of European contact material from the ancient city were used in modern constructions. The first European travellers arrived in 1824, finding a highly stratified feudal society and a population estimated at around 6,000. In 1835 crews of two ships, trying to “take liberties with local women” had been killed by outraged men who also burnt and sank their ships. Congregationalist missionaries arrived in 1852, and by 1870 the whole island had converted to Christianity. By that time population had dropped to only 200, a result of conflicts and diseases brought by the newcomers.

In 1885 the Spanish Navy took control of the island, but after Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898, it sold the Caroline Islands to Germany. After the First World War, it came under Japanese administration. During the time of the Japanese South Seas Mandate from 1919 until the end of the Second World War, Kosrae was run by the resident missionaries. It was reported in the thirties that there was no crime, no alcohol and no tobacco! Although the Japanese fortified the island during the war, no battles took place. In 1945 the Americans took over and the island, then called Kusaie, was administered as one of the municipalities of Ponape (Pohnpei), during the time it was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1977 it became a separate district, and in 1979 it ratified, with Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap, the Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia. Kosrae is an attractive, unspoiled island with a friendly population, who still practice traditional farming and fishing. It has excellent possibilities for hiking and diving - the coral reefs around it are superb.