Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Federated States of Micronesia is an island country in the Micronesia region of Oceania, made up of four states running west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. It comprises around 607 islands with a combined land area of approximately 702 km2, spread across the western Pacific just north of the equator.
The capital of the Federated States of Micronesia is Palikir, located on Pohnpei Island. The largest city is Weno, an island municipality in the Chuuk Lagoon.
The Federated States of Micronesia became independent through a Compact of Free Association with the United States that entered into force on the 3rd of November 1986. Independence was formally concluded under international law in 1990, when the United Nations ended its trusteeship status through Security Council Resolution 683.
Spain, Germany, and Japan each ruled the islands in turn before they passed to the United States. Spain sold the archipelago to Germany in 1899, Japan captured it during World War I, and after World War II it became part of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Nan Madol is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the eastern edge of Pohnpei, made of small artificial islands linked by canals and often called the Venice of the Pacific. It served as the seat of the Saudeleur dynasty, which united Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people from about AD 500 until 1500.
The stone money of Yap consists of large calcite disks called Rai stones, some up to 4 m in diameter with a hole in the middle. Roughly 6,500 of them are scattered around the island, and their value depends on both size and history, with many brought in ancient times from Palau.