Yap << yahp or yap >> Islands is an island group in the western Pacific Ocean in the Caroline Island chain. The islands form the Yap State of the country of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The Yap Islands include four large islands and many smaller islands. The main islands are Yap (the largest), Gagil-Tamil, Map, and Rumung. The island group covers 39 square miles (101 square kilometers) of land and has a population of about 12,000. The islands are composed of ancient crystalline rocks and have a rugged surface. Long, narrow channels separate the islands. Coral reefs surround them. One large break in the reefs allows small vessels to enter a natural harbor.
The people of the Yap Islands are Micronesians. Many work for the government and in tourism industries. Fishing is also important. Bananas, taros, and yams are the main crops. Fishing is also important. Some people are employed by the government.
Spanish explorers first visited Yap in the early 1500’s. Spain gradually established its influence in the region but did not formally claim the islands until the late 1800’s. In 1899, Spain sold the islands to Germany. In 1905, Yap became internationally important as a cable station between the United States, the Netherlands Indies (now Indonesia), and Japan.
After World War I ended in 1918, the League of Nations—a forerunner of the United Nations—gave Japan a mandate (order to rule) over Yap. The United States protested this action. In 1921, the United States and Japan signed a treaty by which the United States recognized the Japanese mandate. In return for this recognition, Japan granted the United States equal rights to cable and radio service through Yap, and also allowed United States citizens free entry there.
During World War II (1939-1945), the Japanese used the island group as a naval and air base. American troops occupied Yap after the war ended. In 1947, the United Nations made the United States trustee of the islands as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1978, the Yap Islands and other Carolines formed the Federated States of Micronesia, a political unit that had self-government but remained under U.S. control. In 1986, FSM became an independent country in free association with the United States.
