Yap (island)

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Yap
Yap as the main island in the southwest of the archipelago
Yap as the main island in the southwest of the archipelago
Waters Pacific Ocean
Archipelago Yap Islands
Geographical location 9 ° 31 '  N , 138 ° 6'  E Coordinates: 9 ° 31 '  N , 138 ° 6'  E
Yap (Island) (Pacific Ocean)
Yap (island)
length 18 km
width 3 km
surface 56.15 km²
Highest elevation Taabiywol
169  m
Residents 6000
107 inhabitants / km²
main place Colonia

Yap is the main island of the Yap Islands , a small group of islands in the western Pacific . This is approximately 1300 km from New Guinea and 870 km from Guam .

The island of Yap, located in the southwest of the Yap Islands, is about 18 km long and a maximum of 3 km wide. Colonia , the capital of the Micronesian state of Yap, is located on its southeast coast . The state of Yap and three other island regions form the independent island nation of the Federated States of Micronesia .

Yap International Airport ( IATA : YAP, ICAO : PTYA, 1829 meters) is located on the island of Yap .

history

The German survey ship SMS Planet sank itself off Yap on October 7, 1914. Yap is known for its stone money (Rai), large stone wheels that were made in Palau and used in Yap on the island of Ulithi as a means of payment and symbol of Wealth were presented. The historic stone money banks of Rum, Macay or Gachpar can still be visited today. In terms of tourism, Yap offers particularly good opportunities for divers and snorkelers to explore an underwater world rich in mantas. In Yap you can still find many places of remembrance of the Pacific War, where military equipment such as aircraft wrecks or anti-aircraft guns can be seen. Also of historical interest are the former telecommunications towers of the German colonial power, known as “German Towers”.

gallery

  • Fishermen in the bay of Yap (around 1880)

  • Bay with native house on the island of Yap, historical photo from 1910

  • Airport on Yap 2008

  • Detailed map of the Yap Islands

literature

  • Erich Kaiser: Contributions to the petrography and geology of the German South Sea Islands. In: Yearbook of the Royal Prussian Geological State Institute and Mining Academy in Berlin for the year 1903. Volume XXIV, Berlin 1907, pp. 93–121. pdf

Web links

Commons : Yap  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files