The "island" of Yap, actually consists of four continental islands united by a common coral reef, and is part of the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. Yap was settled in a series of ancient migrants from New Guinea, the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands, and today is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Imperial Germany took control of Yap in the late 19th century, and held it until September, 1914, when the Japanese conquered the island. The United States military administered the islands after World War II, and it became a Trust Territory until 1986, when, Yap, Truk (Chuuk) , Pohnpei and Kosrae formed the independent nation of the Federated States of Micronesia, which is under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. - NPS