Palikir is a town with about 4,600 people and the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is part of the much larger Sokehs municipality, which had a population of 7000 as of 2009, out of the nation's total population of 106,487. It is situated on the northwest side of Pohnpei island (population 33,000), a high volcanic island surrounded by a fringing coral reef. Nearby to the northeast is the island's largest settlement, the coastal town of Kolonia.