Photos of People of Micronesia, Micronesia

The ancestors of the people living in the Caroline Islands probably came from the Asian mainland, via Taiwan, the Philippines and even from Melanesia and Indonesia. The Micronesian languages spoken here belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language group, a subdivision of the Austronesian language families. The official language of the Federated States of Micronesia is English, but each State also recognises its local language. Although the modern world has well and truly arrived on the islands, traditional culture and island life is paramount, especially on the small outer islands as these photos show.