October 16, 2025
Got to love a place that sells shirts saying "Where the heck is Yap? "
Colonia (population 3,100) is the Capital and Harbor town of Yap State (population 11,600) one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. We are in the Pacific Ocean or Philippine Sea just north of the equator, Papua New Guinea and Australia.
This is downtown Colonia on a busy Wednesday afternoon. We are the 5th cruise ships they have had here, in the last 3 years. Notice no overhead wires, no electrical traffic signals. What Yap is famously known for is their Stone Money. For centuries, they used giant crystalline limestones disks, as their currency; It's noted on their license plates. Today they use USA dollars for their currency but they still used the stones for birthdays, weddings, funerals and in conflict resolution. The most amazing fact about the stone money is that it didn't come from rocks here on the island. They were transported here on rafts from Palau, 250 miles away! They are scattered all around the island, along walkways and in the forests. There are an estimated 13,000 stones on the four Yap Islands. Some are huge, as big as 12 feet in diameter and weighing 8,800 pounds. The stones stay in place even when they change ownership. Their value is based on the stone's size, beauty and history! (Note: I borrowed huge stone photo from Basia's @Basiak.blog for reference)
Colonia also has a Living History Museum in the downtown. The men still use the community house for their men only meetings!
