Yap, called The Land of Stone Money, is one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Although the FSM is a foreign country, it has a Compact of Free Association with the United States.

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      The State of Yap is one of the four states that make up the Federated States of Micronesia, along with the states of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Kosrae.  Yap is the Western-most island in the FSM, located about midway between Guam and Palau.

 

     Yap is comprised of the main islands of Yap, Gagil, Tomil, and Rumung.  Yap State stretches eastward, for another 1,200 or so kilometers and includes another 134 outer islands, most of them low-lying atolls.

 

     The Yapese were seafaring people who sailed vast distances over the Pacific.  Even in recent times, canoes from Yap have sailed to the Marianas, Okinawa, and Palau.  The trip to Palau was made to re-enact the quarrying of stone money.  In centuries past, Yapese made the life-threatening 1000 kilometer round trip voyage to Palau's Rock Islands to quarry the now famous stone money. Yap is probably best known for this stone money - huge disks of crytalline stone.  These stone disks measure up to two meters in diameter, and weigh as much as four tons, making them the world's largest currency.

 

     Yap State has its own constitutional government with three co-equal branches of government consisting of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  Yap also has traditional leaders that serve in the Council of Pilung and the Council of Tamol which perform functions concerning tradition and custom.

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YSLA hosted the PIALA 26th annual conference that was held in Colonia, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, November 21-26, 2016 and celebrated the Association's Twenty-Fifth anniversary.

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YSLA is one of the many library associations who are the powerful force representing the voice of the professions community to solve the problems related to the welfare, education and training including the research and development activities