Yap

Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micronesia, inclusive of the Yap Main Islands and its various outer islands, the Yap Neighboring Islands. For specifying the island group, the name Yap Main Islands is most exact.

==Geography== Yap is made up of four separate islands: Yap Proper (), Gagil-Tamil (), Maap (), and Rumung. The four islands are encircled by a common coral reef and are separated by relatively small water features. Gagil-Tamil and Yap Proper were once linked, but in 1901 a narrow canal called the Tagireeng Canal was built to cut the two landmasses apart. Yap was formed from an uplift of the Philippine Sea Plate, and is referred to as a high island as opposed to atolls. The land is mostly rolling hills, with densely vegetated valleys and savanna interiors. Mangrove swamps line much of the shore, although there are beaches on the northern and western sides of the islands. Excluding the reef area, the Yap Main Islands are approximately 24 km long, 5–10 km wide, and 98 km. The highest elevation is at Mount Taabiywol in Fanif municipality on Yap Proper.