The Federated States of Micronesia is a country in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is composed of four major island groups totaling 607 islands that lie just north of the equator about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia, to the north of Papua New Guinea and theSolomon Islands and to the south of the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.
Yap State consists of 138 islands and atolls, of which 22 are populated, stretching across more than 100,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean but only total area of 7 square miles of land. Yap Proper consists of three islands connected by bridges (Yap, Gagil-Tomil, Maap Island) and one Rummung Island is nearby. It was for long time prohibited island. Now it is possible to go to Rummung Island with special invitation and a guide.
Yap is known for its stone money. Their value is based on both the stone's size and its history. The value of the stones was kept high due to the difficulty and hazards involved in obtaining them. To quarry the stones, Yapese adventurers had to sail to distant islands and deal with local inhabitants who were sometimes hostile. Once quarried, the disks had to be transported back to Yap on rafts towed behind sail-driven canoes. The scarcity of the disks, and the effort and peril required to get them, made them valuable to the Yapese.
The 607-island nation that is the Federated States of Micronesia is one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. Friendly and peaceful, it encompasses nearly a million square miles of ocean north of the equator that is home to a cultural and biological diversity that is unrivaled anywhere.
The FSM is made up of four groups of island States in geographic graphic sequence from west to east:
Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
The FSM is made up of four groups of island States in geographic graphic sequence from west to east:
Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.
Pohnpei "upon (pohn) a stone altar (pei)" (formerly known as Ponape). Pohnpei Island is the largest, highest, most populous, and most developed single island in the FSM. The islanders of Pohnpei have a reputation as being the most welcoming of outsiders among residents of the island group. Pohnpei also contains a wealth of biodiversity.
It is also one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations.
It is also one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations.
By the Allied Forces in February 1944 lead to the sinking of more than 40 Japanese ships and around 500 aircraft in Truk Lagoon. These ships and their crew were the casualties of WWII and became known as "The Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon" .In the late 60's scuba explorers such as Jacques Cousteau began to draw attention to the wrecks, leading Japan to make recovery efforts to return the bodies of its lost military from their wet graves to their homeland for burial.
However, a few skeletons remain littered among the wrecks. It is important to be respectful when diving these wrecks and remember that they are considered war graves. Strict policies are enforced to prevent the removal of any artifacts or marine life. The Chuukese people regard their lagoon as an underwater monument and war museum. Some wrecks have shrines or plaques placed on them marking their remembrance.
However, a few skeletons remain littered among the wrecks. It is important to be respectful when diving these wrecks and remember that they are considered war graves. Strict policies are enforced to prevent the removal of any artifacts or marine life. The Chuukese people regard their lagoon as an underwater monument and war museum. Some wrecks have shrines or plaques placed on them marking their remembrance.