Yap also known as Wa'ab for locals is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, the least westernized state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The "island" of Yap actually consists of four continental islands (hence the alternative name of the Yap Islands). The four are very close together and joined within a common coral reef and entirely formed from an uplift of the Eurasian plate. The land is mostly rolling hills densely covered with vegetation. Mangrove swamps line much of the shore. An outer barrier reef surrounds the islands, enclosing a lagoon between fringing reefs and the inner edge of the barrier reef. Colonia is the capital of the State of Yap. It administers both Yap proper and 14 atolls reaching to the east and south for some 800 km (500 mi), namely Eauripik, Elato, Fais,