History

• Habitation in both regions dates back thousands of years, though China has a more extensive written history. The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) formed its constitution in 1979. The People's Republic of China (PRC) was officially formed in 1949. The FSM has a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The PRC is a communist government.
  
  

Geography and Climate

• Micronesia is an archipelago grouping of roughly 600 tropical islands in the north Pacific Ocean. China is on the continent of Asia, located in the far east of the Asian land mass. China has a northern temperate climate, and Micronesia has a tropical climate.
  
  

Features

• Micronesia's population is estimated at 107,434 people, per the CIA website. China's population is estimated at roughly 1.328 billion people.
  
  

Size

• At 702 square kilometers, Micronesia is only about four times the size of Washington, D.C. China has a total land mass area of 9,596,961 square kilometers, which is similar to the size of the United States.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Because the names "Micronesia" and "Chinese" sound similar, it is a common misconception that both countries are similar in nature. Micronesian people are not Chinese people, although Chinese people do inhabit Micronesia, and vice versa.