Ever day dream about what you would do if you won the lottery? Maybe you would buy a huge mansion, a super fast sports car, or use it to get out of debt from attending school. But would you ever think that you could buy an island in the Pacific for the same amount of money people pay for their houses in Myer’s Park? Neither did I, but it happened in 1899. The Spanish sold Yap and the rest of Spanish Micronesia to Germany for 4.5 million dollars! I wonder how much Yap would go for now-a-days. You could look at Yap as a foster child. Yap was first controlled by Spain, and then they sell it to Germany. Germany has control for a while and then the Japanese come and takes over Yap with the help of Great Britain. Unfortunately, the Japanese could not defeat the United States so they have to surrender in 1945. They go from one “parent” to the next just like a foster child.
I do believe that Yap has some problems with their economy because of all the different countries that have inhabited it. How would you feel if every 15-20 years you were sold off to the highest bidder? I know if I lived in that country, I would not be very happy with all of the different changes. Luckily, the United States is currently trying to help stabilize their economy so that they will be able to become more independent and less reliable on the US. Maybe in 10 years we will see someone super rich buy Yap, just for fun.
Queens University of Charlotte - Yap 2013 