Chuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's states. Geographically, Chuuk is also part of the larger Caroline Islands group. Chuuk means mountain in the Chuukese language and was known mainly as Truk (a mispronunciation of Ruk), until 1990.

Geography

---

The main population center of Chuuk State is the Chuuk Lagoon, a large archipelago with mountainous islands surrounded by a string of islets on a barrier reef. The two major geographical and dialectic divisions of the Chuuk Lagoon are Faichuuk, the western islands, and Namoneas, the eastern islands. Chuuk State also includes several more sparsely populated "outer island" groups, including the Mortlock Islands to the southeast, the Hall Islands to the north, Namenweitos to the northwest, and the Pattiw Region to west. The Pattiw Region is of particular interest in that they are some of the most traditional islands in the Pacific and culturally related to outer islands of Yap. This group, includes the islands of Pollap, Tamatam, Poluwat, and Houk. Today you can still find master navigators— Poluwat and Pollap are considered to have some of the best navigators and ocean-going outrigger canoes in the Pacific. The islands of Pattiw Region and some of the Islands of Yap, you will still today find last two remaining schools of navigation, Weriyeng and Faaluush. Visiting the Pattiw Region in the west, however, is hard due to lack of reliable transportation. Houk has probably the most accessible airstrip in the Pattiw Region, with planes landing every one or two weeks.

History

---

It is not known when the islands of Chuuk were first settled, but, based on archaeological and scriptural evidence, these islands had originally been settled more than 2000 years ago. It is not known with certainty where the original inhabitants came from. Based on archaeological evidence, it seems that, after about 200 AD, there was no continuous settlement until about 1300 AD. With further archaeological work, it is possible this gap could be filled in. However, because Chuuk is not high on the archaeological agenda (See List of archaeological sites sorted by country), it is improbable that such a developed study will begin soon. It is probable that people came from Pohnpei and Kosrae to the east, based on many legend and language similarities.

As part of the colonial territory of the Caroline Islands, Truk was part of the Spanish, then German and the Japanese empires.

During World War II, Truk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan's main base in the South Pacific. A significant portion of the Japanese fleet was based there, with its administrative center on Tonoas (south of Weno). Truk was the base for Japanese operations against Allied forces in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Operation Hailstone, executed by the United States in 1944, culminated in...