Micronesia

ISO Code: FM FSM 583
FIPS 10-4 Code: FM
MARC Code: fm
IOC Code: FSM

From 1962 to 1965, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was Marianas, the Carolines, the Marshalls and Palau. In 1965, the Yap, Chuuk, and Pohnpei districts were created (It appears the Marianas, Marshall Islands, and Palau districts were created before this time). This was the first meaning for the stars. For the next decade, the districts remained the same. Thoughout 1975 to 1978, the Mariana Islands District sought to negotiate their way out of the TTPI government, wanting Commonwealth status. This status was granted in January 1978. During all of this, Kosrae was detached from Pohnpei and became a separate district in 1977. Because of all of this, the six stars on the TTPI flag meant the Marshalls, Palau, Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae. In July 1978 the Palau district and the Marshall Islands district rejected the proposed constitution for the Federated States of Micronesia. This action reduced the flag to the current four stars: Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae. Other wrtiers seem to bring up the purported district/state of Faichuk. During my research, I couldn't find anything about the existence of Faichuk. However, there does tend to be a lot of anger about their status within Chuuk and Micronesia. For more, see this article from the Marianas Variety.

To sum up:

• 1962-65: Marianas, Carolines, Marshall Islands and Palau
• 1965-77 Marianas, Marshall Islands, Palau, Yap, Pohnpei and Chuuk
• 1977-78 Marshall Islands, Palau, Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae
• 1978-present: Yap, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Kosrae

Sources:
1) World Statesmen.
2) A chronology provided by the Congress of Micronesia.
3) Dan Meekin's chronology of the Northern Mariana Islands
Joshua Holman, 18 September 2006

I've only heard of two versions of the Micronesian flag:

The version with 6 stars was adopted 1962 and approved by the USA in 1965. The 6 stars represented Palau, Truk, Marshall Islands, Yap, Ponape and the Northern Marianas. On 1 April 1976 the Northern Marianas achieved commonwealth status outside the Federation, and in January 1977 the state of Kosrae was formed out of part of Ponape within the federation. As far as I know the flag wasn't changed in 1977. The number of stars was reduced to 4 when Palau (or Belau) and the Marshall Islands went their own way. The flag was adopted on 30 November 1978.
Unattributed

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As far as I know, Faichuk has never managed to be recognized as a separate state. Or has it? It briefly appeared, for instance, on the map of Oceania in the Petit Larousse dictionary. From what I heard, Faichuk inhabitants (Faichuk is the name used for a group of larger islands in the western part of the Chuuk lagoon) were tired of receiving scarce funding from the Chuukese government and almost managed to secede, but a veto from the FSM president (himself a Chuukese) prevented them from doing so. I have tried to get info about a Faichukese flag, to no avail. But I did not say that there was no such flag.

Has anybody different information? If there really had been such a state, even for a while, then the FSM flag itself ought to have changed during that period.

Besides, if Kusaie is quoted as a component as soon as 1965, then definitely Truk should be as well. Truk (now Chuuk) was a constituent entity long before Kusaie was separated from Ponape, and from then on Kusaie was called Kosrae. In particular, I would be surprised to hear that the sixth star on the Pacific Islands Territory Trust flag stood for Kusaie and not for Truk.
Thanh Tâm.Lê, 16 June 1999

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When I first quoted Faichuk, its existence was denied and no reference could be found in Encyclopedias, etc... except the ones that I posted. I searched and I later found more information, but no flag. After two years the situation is not changed. Faichuk never was recognized and their government was dissolved. Their flag, if one existed (and seems very probable that one existed) was unofficial.
Jaume Ollé, 20 June 1999

According to the website of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia, the first law passed by the First Congress of Micronesia was to establish the national flag.

§ 501. Design designated.

There shall be and there is hereby adopted an official flag of the Federated States of Micronesia, which shall consist of a circle of four white stars centered on a field of blue. The width of the flag of the Federated States of Micronesia shall bear a ratio to its length of 1 to 1.9, and the width of the flag to the width of a star the ratio of five to one. The flag may be reproduced for unofficial purposes, with different dimensions.
Source: TT Code 1966 § 15; TT Code 1970, 1 TTC 201; TT Code 1980, 1 TTC 201; PL IC-6 § 1.

§ 502. Display of flags.

(1) The flag of the Federated States of Micronesia shall be displayed in the open only from sunrise until sunset and during such hours shall be displayed only on buildings, flagstaffs, or halyards.

(2) The flag of the Federated States of Micronesia shall be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.

(3) No person shall display any other flag above or in a position of superior prominence or honor to the flag of the Federated States of Micronesia at any place within the Federated States of Micronesia; provided, that this subsection shall not apply to foreign embassies, consulates, diplomatic missions, or the offices of international agencies.

(4) The President may establish rules and procedures for the half-mast display of the flag of the Federated States of Micronesia and the use of the flag at official funerals.
Source: TT Code 1966 § 16; TT Code 1970, 1 TTC 202; TT Code 1980, 1 TTC 202; PL IC-6 § 2; PL 4-82 § 1.

§ 503. Desecration of flag.

(1) Any person who knowingly casts contempt upon any flag of the Federated States of Micronesia by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it shall be fined not more than $100, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.

(2) The term "flag of the Federated States of Micronesia" as used in this section shall include an official flag of the Federated States of Micronesia, as described in section 501 of this title, or any reproduction thereof for official or unofficial purposes and having the same or different dimensions as the flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.
Source: COM PL 7-135 § 1; TT Code 1980, 1 TTC 203; PL IC-6 § 3.

Source: FM Legal Information Service

Phil Nelson, 23 February 2006