Micronesia
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
346km²
Area
222km
Coastline
791m
Highest point
Dolohmwar
26,102
People
30°C
Warmest sea
September
2,588km
To the mainland
When to go to Pohnpei
Best for the beach from January to May.
The sea is warmest in September (30 °C) and coolest in February (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Micronesia
Pohnpei is an volcanic island in Micronesia. It covers 346 km², with 222 km of coastline. Its highest point, Dolohmwar, rises to 791 m. About 26,102 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2,588 km away.
Getting there
- Pohnpei International Airport (PNI)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- FerriesPaddling Route, Labyrinth Paddling Route
- 2,588 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Maybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Pohnpei.
- 2beachesPikenkid
- 11viewpointsStone Look-Out, Bridge over stream near sakau, Kupwuriso Summit and 8 more
- 1marinas
- 103named peaksNanalaud, Ngihneni, Dolohmwar and 100 more
- 6waterfallsLududuhniap Falls, Kepindau Falls, Pohn Pillap Waterfall and 3 more
- 6ruins and archaeological sitesRifle Pit, Stove, Pohnpaip Petroglyphs and 3 more
- 1dive centresPohnpei Surf Club
- 4campsitesHidden campground, Undercliff Jangle Campsite, Possible campsite and 1 more
- 12hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 21restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Pohnpei in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Pohnpei, each with its own numbers.
1waterfallCascadyas
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Liduduhnlap Waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 154 m above the sea. 71 % of it is below 200 m.
- 37 %0–50 m
- 34 %50–200 m
- 23 %200–500 m
- 6 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Palikir6,942 people
- Kolonia6,074 people
- Kolonia Town5,681 people
- Madolenihm Municipality Governmentno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Night low (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 205 | 161 | 219 | 250 | 290 | 243 | 268 | 238 | 264 | 264 | 274 | 250 |
| Wet days | 23 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 26 |
| Sun h/day | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 25 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.3 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.8 |
| 2025 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.5 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q319836) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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