Yap Island

Yap Islands, previously Guap Islands, are an archipelago in the Federated States of Micronesia's western Caroline Islands. Within a coral reef, the archipelago consists of the islands of Gagil-Tamil, Maap, Rumung, and Yap (also known as Rull, Uap, or Yapa). Yap, the largest island, is densely forested and includes a central range of hills rising to Taabiywol, 568 feet (173 meters). Throughout the year, temperatures are pretty consistent. The average monthly temperature is in the low 80s Fahrenheit (about 28 degrees Celsius), while the average yearly rainfall is around 120 inches (3,000 mm). Yap state's capital, Colonia, is located on Yap Island's east coast.

Yap Island, the main island of Yap Proper, has a tiny capital, Colonia, that surrounds around Chamorro Bay and offers sea views almost everywhere. Visit the Ethnic Art Town, which celebrates and preserves local art, or walk to the nearby village of Balabat to see the stone-money bank. The historic German Cable Station, erected in 1905 to connect Shanghai with Guam and the Philippines, is not far west of the airfield; nearby are two Japanese Zeroes, their wings astonishingly undamaged. Bechiyal, in the north, is a welcoming coastal community with Yap's oldest faluw (men's house).

Location: Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean