1525. Portuguese navigators in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) come upon Yap and Ulithi. Spanish expeditions later explored the rest of the Caroline Islands and make the first European contact with native peoples.
1526-1899. The Spanish Empire claims sovereignty over the Caroline Islands.
1899. Facing insurmountable management challenges in its Pacific empire as war with the United States looms, Spain sells the islands to Germany. The German administration encourages the development of trade and the production of copra (dried coconuts).
1914. German administration ends when Japanese naval squadrons take possession of the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the islands of the Marianas at the start of World War I (1914-18).
1918. Japanese economic interest and settlement in the islands expands. The Japanese population in Micronesia exceeds 100,000, compared with an indigenous population of about 40,000. Sugar cane, other tropical crops, mining, and fishing are developed as major industries.
1939-1945. World War II abruptly ends the relative prosperity experienced during the period of Japanese civil administration.
1947. The United Nations establishes the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), and the United States takes on the role of trustee as administering authority. The TTPI consists of the 4 island groups that will later become the states of the Federated States of Micronesia.
1965. The Congress of Micronesia formed.
1967. A commission is established to examine the future political status of the islands.
1970. Micronesians declare their rights to sovereignty over their own lands, to self-determination, to devise their own constitution, and to revoke their association with the United States.
1977. U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that his administration intends to terminate the trusteeship agreement.
1978. Following a constitutional convention, the Federated States of Micronesia drafts a constitution that provides for federation of the 4 states: Chuuk (formerly Truk), Pohnpei (formerly Ponape), Kosrae (formerly Kusaie), and Yap.
1979. The 4 states ratify the constitution, and the Federated States of Micronesia comes into being.
1982. The United States signs a Compact of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia.
1986. The Federated States of Micronesia becomes self-governing.
1991. Micronesia achieves full independence and becomes a member of the United Nations.
1993. Micronesia joins the International Monetary Fund.
2001. Micronesia begins a renegotiation of Compact of Free Association with the United States to secure the continuation of financial support. The government announces a privatization plan.