The Yapese Empire was an ancient maritime empire located in the western Caroline Islands in the north Pacific region of Micronesia since around the 9th century, AD.[1] In circa 950 AD, Yap became the seat of the Empire when Gatcheper Village in the chiefdom of Gagil (modern-day Gagil Municipality) established an expansive maritime trade network and exerted socio-economic and political influence to its neighbouring islands to the east.[2] Although small and informal compared to other marine empires, the Empire at its peak covered over 1,300 kilometres, stretching from the Yap main islands to parts of modern-day Chuuk State.[3] The Empire coexisted with the Tongan Empire located in the southern Pacific.
- ^ Petersen, Glenn (2016). "Yap and the Yap Empire". ResearchGate. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Petersen, Glenn (2000). "Indigenous Island Empires: Yap and Tonga Considered". The Journal of Pacific History. 35 (1): 12. JSTOR 25169463.
- ^ Petersen, Glenn (2000). "Indigenous Island Empires: Yap and Tonga Considered". The Journal of Pacific History. 35 (1): 12. JSTOR 25169463 – via JSTOR.