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| Flag of Palau |
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Geography
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific. The republic consists of approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi), making it one of the smallest countries in the world. The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the largest island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest.
The administrative divisions of Palau is divided into sixteen administrative regions, called states. Palau has a high ratio of government offices to citizens, with 16 states and both a tribal chiefdom and elected legislature in each state, for 20,000 people.
Sixteen States of Palau:
- Kayangel
- Aimeliik
- Airai
- Melekeok
- Ngaraard
- Ngarchelong
- Ngardmau
- Ngeremlengui
- Ngatpang
- Ngchesar
- Ngiwal
- Angaur
- Koror
- Peleliu
- Hatohobei
- Sonsorol
Ngerulmud is Palau's capital and the largest city is Koror (city).
See Also: Geography of Palau
History
Palau was initially settled around 1000 BC.
Palau was subsequently discovered by the Europeans on 28 December 1696 when the first map of Palau was drawn by the Czech missionary Paul Klein based on a description given by a group of Palauans shipwrecked on the Philippine coast on Samar. This map and a letter sent to Europe by Klein in June 1697 had a vast impact on interest in Palau. It resulted in the first Jesuit attempts to travel to the islands from the Philippines in 1700, 1708 and 1709, which failed to establish missions.
Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, with Palauan islands administered as part of German New Guinea. British traders became prominent visitors in the 18th century, followed by expanding Spanish influence in the 19th century. Control passed to Japan during World War I. In the course of World War II the islands were taken by the United States in 1944. The Battle of Peleliu between September 15 and November 25 1944 was hard fought, with 2,000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese killed. The islands passed formally to the United States under United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Four of the Trust Territory districts formed a single federated Micronesian state in 1979, but the districts of Palau and the Marshall Islands declined to participate. Palau, the westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands, instead opted for independent status in 1978, approved a new constitution and became the Republic of Palau in 1981, and signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1982. After eight referendums and an amendment to the Palauan constitution, the Compact was ratified in 1993 and went into effect on October 1, 1994, marking Palau independence de jure (after Palau was independent de facto since May 25, 1994, when the trusteeship was cancelled).
See also: History of Palau
Historical Timeline
- 1710 Part of the Spanish East Indies
- 1899 Part of the First Philippine Republic
- 1899 Part of German New Guinea
- 1914 South Seas Mandate
- 1947 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
- 1981 Republic of Palau
- 1994 Compact of Free Association went into effect
Demographics
See Also: Palauans
See Also: Demographics of Palau
Ethnicities: The population of Palau is approximately 21,779 (2023), of whom 73% are native Palauans of mixed Melanesian and Austronesian descent. There are many Asian communities within Palau. Filipinos form the largest Asian group and second largest ethnic group in the country, dating back to the Spanish colonial period. There are significant numbers of Chinese and Koreans. There are also smaller numbers of Palauans of mixed or full Japanese ancestry. Most Palauans of Asian origin came during the late 20th century with many Chinese, Bangladeshis, and Nepalese coming to Palau as unskilled workers and professionals.
Language: The official languages of Palau are Palauan and English, except in two states (Sonsorol and Hatohobei) where the local languages, Sonsorolese and Tobian, respectively, along with Palauan, are official. Japanese is spoken by some older Palauans and is an official language in Angaur.
See also: Palauan Language
Translation Tool: Translate
Religion: According to the 2020 census, 46.9% of the population is Roman Catholic, 25.9% Protestant (primarily Evangelical), 5% Seventh-day Adventist, 5.1% Modekngei, 4.9% Muslim, 0.9% The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and 11.4% other religions. There is also a small Jewish community.
Palau Naming Conventions
In Palau a complete name usually consists of a given name and a family name or surname (most commonly patrilineal). They are invariably given in the Western name order, or given name followed by family name.
However some families have a Japanese ancestry and thus follow Japanese naming customs.