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.

[3] 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.

Still, most of the communities on the islands of the present state of Yap had little contact with Europeans and lived in complete independence.

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.

This occupation was formally recognized within the framework of the Mandate of the Pacific Islands created in 1919 by the League of Nations.

[7] 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.

The state stretches from the Yap main islands towards the east to Chuuk for 1,200 to 1,500 kilometers (750 to 930 mi; 650 to 810 nmi).

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

The two councils make sure whether proposed bills do not violate local traditional customs and regulate cultural issues.

[22] China's Exhibition & Travel Group has announced plans to develop a 4,000-unit resort on the island.

[25] iBoom is expected to challenge previous monopoly of the FSM Telecom Corporation through competitive pricing and services.

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.