Yap State

The State of Yap (Yapese: Wa'ab or Waqab) is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the westernmost portion of the country. The state borders Palau to the southwest, Guam to the north, and Chuuk State to the east. According to the state's population census carried out in 2020, the total population is 11,577 residing across a total area of 119.54 sq km (46.15 sq mi), though a large majority of the area is water. The only town area in the state, Colonia, serves as the state capital.

What is now current-day Yap State and some parts of Chuuk State were the historical Yapese Empire, which at its peak, controlled 1,300 km of the western Pacific comprising all the inhabited islands and atolls between Yap and Chuuk. The rulers of the chiefdom of Gagil in Yap maintained sovereignty of these islands to the east and extracted resources and tribute, maintaining close economic and political relationships with the different island groups. After losing its influence and becoming incorporated territories of Spain, the German Empire, the Japanese Empire, and the United States through the UN-mandated Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), Yap and the islands and atolls between Yap and Chuuk formed Yap State upon the founding of the FSM.

According to the FSM Statistics Office, the population of Colonia and the municipalities of the State of Yap was 11,577 in 2020. The state has a total land area of 102 km2.

History
The islands are thought to have been populated from the Malay Archipelago. In approximately 950 AD, it was the seat of the Yapese Empire, contemporary to the Tu'i Tonga Empire. The outer islands, now part of the Yap state, were settled from Polynesia.

The island nation formerly used rai stones as currency. Since this stone money had to be made from a rock that could not be extracted on the island, its value derived from the dangers taken on expeditions to obtain it, mainly from Palau.

The Portuguese were the first Westerners to visit the island in 1525 when the navigator Diogo da Rocha arrived in Ulithi and stayed there for four months.

The Caroline Islands were under Spanish rule from the 16th century under Johannes von Yaplett until the end of the 19th century. Still, most of the communities on the islands of the present state of Yap had little contact with Europeans and lived in complete independence. In 1885, following a conflict between Spain and Germany, the arbitration of Pope Leo XIII confirmed possession to Spain against commercial advantages for Germany. On June 30, 1899, after the Spanish–American War, Spain sold the Carolines, the Palau Islands, and the majority of the Marianas to the German Empire. At the start of the First World War, in 1914, the Empire of Japan occupied the area. This occupation was formally recognized within the framework of the Mandate of the Pacific Islands created in 1919 by the League of Nations.

The Caroline Islands came under the control of the United States in 1944, which administered them as a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under a UN mandate received in 1947. The state was once the Yap District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. On May 10, 1979, Yap ratified the Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia and became an integral part of this new nation with official independence on November 3, 1986.

Geography


The State of Yap is the westernmost state of the Micronesian Federation. Further eastwards in order are the states of Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. It consists of the four main islands of Rumung, Maap, Gagil-Tamil, and Yap Proper (Marbaa') and 134 smaller islands southwest and east of Yap. The state stretches from the Yap main islands towards the east to Chuuk for 1,200 to 1,500 km.

The Yapanese Main Islands are located approximately 800 km southwest of Guam, 3,200 km from Tokyo, 2,000 km from Manila, and 8,000 km from Honolulu.

Languages
The State of Yap has five official languages: English, Ulithian, Woleaian, Satawalese and Yapese.

Demographics
According to the FSM Statistics Division, the 2020 population of Yap State is 11,577. The state has the third-largest population among the states in the FSM, with Chuuk and Pohnpei leading in this order. The population of the state consists mainly of the local Yapanese, Ulithians, Woleaians and Satawalese people; however, the state has been seeing a rise in the number of foreign citizens from countries such as the United States, Japan, Palau and the Philippines.

Religion
According to the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report compiled by the United States Department of State, an estimated 80% of the state population is Catholic, and the remainder is Protestant. Religious affiliation tends to follow clan lines. A majority of foreign citizens in the FSM and the state is made up of Filipino Catholics.

Municipalities


The State of Yap is divided into 21 municipalities, with each municipality having several village units incorporated through customs and historically set boundary lines. Each municipality can be placed in one of five main island groupings: Rumung, Maap, Gagil-Tamil, Marbaa' and the Neighboring Islands. The first four groupings are part of Yap Proper.

These municipalities are listed with their populations at the 2010 Census:

Not included: Pikelot.

Politics and government
The State of Yap is one of the four federal states of the Federated States of Micronesia. As a democratic federation, each state can retain a large number of power within the state as well as a certain level of sovereignty typical of federal states. As such, the State adheres to the FSM National and Yap State constitutions to develop policies and regulations.

The State Government is unique because it consists of four government branches, each serving a specific function for policymaking. The Executive Branch consists of the Governor as well as the Lieutenant Governor, along with the members of the government departments affiliated with the branch. The Executive Branch is responsible for executing laws and administering government services. The Yap State Legislature makes up the Legislative Branch, responsible for creating, debating, and passing bills for the Executive Branch to approve into law and enforce. The Yap State Court makes up the Judicial Branch, responsible for ensuring laws passed do not violate the state and national constitutions. The unique traditional branch vests its power into two groups of Yapanese chiefs. The group of Yap Main Island chiefs is known as the Council of Pilung, and the group of Yapa nese outer island chiefs is known as the Council of Tamol. The two councils make sure whether proposed bills do not violate local traditional customs and regulate cultural issues.

Information about some state government leaders and administrative staff is included below.

Economy


The GDP per capita in 2018 was US$4,510, while the total GDP in 2018 was US$52 million. According to the 2010 Labor Market Statistics data compiled by the FSM Statistics Office, 67% of the total state population is in the labor force, the highest percentage of people in the labor force in the entire nation. Most of those in the labor force are in formal work, while the rest are in home production, including subsistence.

Yap has a relatively small tourism industry, with the Yap Visitors Bureau reporting only 4,000 annual visitors from 2010 to 2017. China's Exhibition & Travel Group has announced plans to develop a 4,000-unit resort on the island. Businesses that contribute to the state's tourism share of state GDP are Manta Ray Resort and Spa, ESA, and Yap Pacific Dive Resort.

The largest retail businesses in the State are Yap Cooperative Association (YCA) General Store, Guang Mao Enterprises, Yap Savemore Enterprises and EMI Enterprises. These businesses contribute primarily to the State's retail and wholesale sectors.

The State also has a small but essential financial sector that supports the population's investment and capital needs, local small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs), the government and state institutions, and the academic sector. It has five financial services institutions: the Bank of Guam (BOG), the Bank of the Federated States of Micronesia (BFSM), Community Ayuw Services Credit Union, Western Union, and the FSM Development Bank.

The State is now expected to be one of the fastest-growing economies in the country as technological innovation is highly encouraged. Although the FSM communications industry is largely monopolized by the state-operated FSM Telecommunications Corporation based in Pohnpei, Yap saw the rise of the tech startup company iBoom when the company is expected to utilise the National Government's Digital FSM Project 2017 grant funding from the World Bank to connect each home, work office, etc. iBoom is expected to challenge previous monopoly of the FSM Telecom Corporation through competitive pricing and services.

Transportation


Yap International Airport receives service from United Airlines as well as Pacific Mission Aviation. The state also has a small dockyard, colloquially known as Gampek, in Colonia just south of Tamil Harbor that services maritime vessels for inter-state and cross-border transport and freight.

Education
Post-secondary institutions:


 * College of Micronesia-FSM Yap Campus in Rull
 * FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute in Gagil

State secondary schools:
 * Yap High School in Colonia
 * Woleai High School in Woleai
 * Outer Islands High School in Ulithi

Private Secondary and Elementary Schools:
 * Yap Catholic High School in Lamer village, Rull
 * Saint Mary's School in Colonia
 * Yap Seventh Day Adventist School in Tamil
 * Faith Christian Academy in Makiy, Gagil
 * Yap International Christian School in Gaanelay, Rull

Notable people

 * John Mangefel: FSM Founding Father; First State Governor
 * Petrus Tun: FSM Founding Father; first FSM Vice President; Second State Governor
 * Jennifer Chieng: Boxer and mixed martial artist (MMA)