Thomas Keller, age 8, of Fairfield, Connecticut, for his question:

What is Micronesia?

Its musical name means "the Little Islands." And Micronesia is in the vast Pacific Ocean. Its tiny islands are dotted along a thin line that curves for thousands of miles through the ocean. Around each lonely little spot of dry land, on every side the salty sea stretches far and wide. They have counted 2,500 little islands in Micronesia    and there are more that are too small to be counted. Many Micronesian islands are small reefs, just high enough to reach above the waves. Others are lovely little atolls or coral isles. Some of the more important islands of Micronesia have been in the news and we know their names. Maybe you have heard of Wake Island and the Marshalls, the Gilberts and the Marianas.

The island chain of Micronesia reaches farther than a line from Alaska to Mexico. But all the dry land on all the islands adds up to only 1,400 square miles. There is almost this much land in our little state of Rhode Island. Suppose we could slice the fine state of Connecticut into four equal pieces. Now put three of the pieces back in place. Chop the fourth piece into 2,500 pieces    and you would have enough dry land to make all the islands of Micronesia.