Palau

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For other uses, see Palau (disambiguation).

{{Infobox_Country |native_name =Beluu er a Belau |common_name =Palau |image_flag =Flag of Palau.svg |image_coat =Palaucoa.gif |image_map =LocationPalau.png |national_motto =Rainbow's End |national_anthem =Belau loba klisiich er a kelulul |official_languages = English, Palauan, Japanese (in Angaur) |capital = Koror |latd=7 |latm=21 |latNS=N |longd=134 |longm=28 |longEW=E |largest_city = Koror |government_type =Constitutional government
in free association with the US |leader_titles =
President |leader_names =Tommy Remengesau |area_rank =179th |area_magnitude = 1 E7 |area=458 |areami²=177 |percent_water =Negligible |population_estimate =20,303 |population_estimate_rank = 190th |population_estimate_year =July 2005 |population_census = |population_census_year = |population_density =44 |population_densitymi² =114 |population_density_rank = 126th |GDP_PPP =$174 million¹ |GDP_PPP_rank =219th |GDP_PPP_year=2001 |GDP_PPP_per_capita =$9,000 (2001 est.) |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 90th |sovereignty_type = Independence |established_events = from UN Trust Territory |established_dates =October 1, 1994 |HDI =n/a |HDI_rank =n/a |HDI_year =2003 |HDI_category =unranked |currency = US Dollar |currency_code = USD |country_code = |time_zone = |utc_offset =+ 9 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |cctld =.pw |calling_code =680 |footnotes = 1.) Note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2001 est.). }}

The Republic of Palau is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 300 miles (500 km) east of the Philippines. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States of America) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and smallest nations. It is sometimes referred to in English under its native name Belau.

1 History
2 Politics
3 States
4 Geography
- 4.1 Climate
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 See also
9 Reference
10 External links

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History

Template:Main Early Palauans may have come from the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, and Polynesia, settling the islands as early as 1000 B.C.<ref name="early_history">Hawaii.com history of Palau</ref> Prior to the influences of colonialism, Palauans had well established matriarchal social systems, including matrilineal inheritance.<ref name="matriarch">SG Travel at Yahoo on Palauan matriarchial social systems</ref>.

The Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos may have been the first European to sight the islands, in 1543. Spain officially claimed the islands in 1686, however significant European attempts to settle on or trade with the islands were not made until the 18th century when the English Captain Henry Wilson shipwrecked off Ulong in 1783.<ref name="wilson>SG Travel at Yahoo on Henry Wilson</ref> Wilson dubbed Palau the “Pelew Islands”.

Over the course of the next century, Spanish priests attempted (unsuccessfully) to establish the Roman Catholic Church on the islands, and Spain maintained a claim on the islands until 1875, when protests from Britain prompted a lapse in the claim. In 1885, after Germany occupied some of the islands, a dispute was brought to Pope Leo XIII, who legitimized Spain's claim to the islands (but with economic concessions for Britain and Germany). The Spanish met with resistance from the locals, and in 1899 ceded control of Palau to Germany.<ref name="sandafayre">Sandafayre.com on Palauan history</ref><ref name="state_1">United States Department of State article on Palau</ref> In 1914 Japan invaded the islands, then after the Germans' defeat in World War I formally took them over under the Treaty of Versailles. Over three decades the Japanese effected major change in the culture of Palau, including the introduction of a market economy and private (as opposed to tribal) ownership of land.<ref name="lands">Hawaii.com on Palauan history</ref> After the Second World War, the islands were handed over to the United Nations, and were administered by the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The Palauans voted in 1979 not to join the Federated States of Micronesia based on language and cultural differences, choosing independence instead. After a long period of transition, including the violent deaths of two presidents (Haruo Remeliik in 1985 by assassination and Lazarus Salii in 1988 by suicide), Palau voted in 1994 to become freely associated with the United States while gaining independence under the Compact of Free Association.

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Politics

Template:Main The President of Palau is both head of state and head of government and is directly elected for a term of four years. The directly elected bicameral legislature is the Palau National Congress (Olbiil Era Kelulau), comprising a 9-member Senate and a 16-member House of Delegates. The current president, Tommy Remengesau, was elected in 2000, took office in 2001 and was re-elected in 2004. He had previously served as vice-president.

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States

Image:States of Palau.jpg Template:Main Palau is divided into sixteen administrative states:

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Geography

Image:Ps-map.png Template:Main Palau's most important islands are Angaur, Babeldaob, Koror, and Peleliu, which lie together within the same barrier reef. About two thirds of the population lives on Koror. North of these islands, the coral atoll of Kayangel is situated, while the uninhabited Rock Islands (about 70 of them) are situated to the west of the main island group. A remote group of six islands, known as the Southwest Islands, some 375 miles (600 km) from the main islands, is also part of the country.

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Climate

Palau enjoys a tropical climate all year round with an annual mean temperature of 82 °F (27 °C). Rainfall can occur throughout the year, averaging a total of 150 inches (3,800 mm). The average humidity over the course of the year is 82%, and although rain falls more frequently between July and October, there is still much sunshine. Typhoons are rare, as Palau is outside the main typhoon zone.

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Economy

Template:Main The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence farming, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 50,000 in the financial year 2000/2001. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-term prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.

In July of 2004, Palau Micronesia Air was launched with service from Palau to Yap, Guam, Micronesia, Saipan, Australia, and the Philippines. It ceased operations in December of the same year and has not restarted operations since.

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Demographics

Template:Main The population of Palau is approximately 19,000 of whom 70% are native Palauans, who are of Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian descent. Asians and Europeans account for the minority groups. Two thirds of the population are Christians (mainly Catholics and Seventh-day Adventists), but Modekngei (a combination of Christianity, traditional Palauan religion and fortune telling) and the ancient Palauan religion are still the most commonly observed household religions.

The official languages of Palau are Palauan and English, except for three states (Sonsorol, Hatohobei, and Angaur) where the local language is official instead of Palauan. In Angaur, Japanese is also official.

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