Palau

Palau (pälou`), officially Republic of Palau, independent nation (2005 est. pop. 20,300), c.192 sq mi (497 sq km), W Pacific, in the W Caroline Islands. Belau, the native form of Palau, is sometimes used. Until 1994, Palau was administered by the United States as the last UN trust territory. It consists of about 200 islands and islets, of which Babeldaob (or Babelthuap, the site of the capital), Oreor (or Koror, the former site of the capital), Arakabesan, and Malakal are the most important. Administratively, the islands are divided into 16 states. Palau has a bicameral parliament, a president, and a vice president. Subsistence farming and some commercial fishing and shellfishing are the chief economic activities.

History

Spain held the islands for about 300 years before selling them to Germany in 1899. Japan seized them in 1914 and was given a mandate over them by the League of Nations in 1920. A major Japanese naval base in World War II, Palau was seized by U.S. forces in 1944 and made part of the U.S.-administered United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947. Palau's constitution, adopted in 1980, prohibits nuclear weapons, causing a conflict with the Free Association Compact proposed by the United States in 1985–86. Palau became self-governing in 1981. The islands voted in favor of the compact in 1987, but the referendum failed to garner the 75% of the votes then required. In a new plebiscite held in 1993 the compact was approved, opening the door to closer official linkage with the United States. The following year Palau became an independent nation in free association with the United States. Tommy Remengesau, Jr., was elected president in 2000, succeeding Kuniwo Nakamura, and reelected in 2004. The capital was moved from Oreor to Babeldoab in 2006.

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Palau

 officially Republic of Palau

Island country, western Pacific Ocean. Area: 188 sq mi (488 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 21,100. Capital: Koror (acting); scheduled to move to the island of Babelthuap in 2006. The population is of mixed Malay, Melanesian, Filipino, and Polynesian ancestry. Languages: Palauan, Sonsorolese-Tobian, English (all official). Religion: Christianity (mostly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, other Christians). Currency: U.S. dollar. The islands of the Palau group are fertile, with mangrove swamps along the coasts, backed by savanna and palms rising to rainforests in the hills. The major source of employment is government service. Subsistence farming and fishing are the main occupations in the rural areas. Palau is a republic with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president. The islands had been under nominal Spanish ownership when they were sold to Germany in 1899. They were seized by Japan in 1914 and taken by Allied forces in 1944 during World War II. Palau became part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947 and became a sovereign state in 1994; the U.S. provides economic assistance and maintains a military presence in the islands.

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palau [pə′lau̇]

(metallurgy)

A palladium-gold alloy; used as a platinum substitute in analytical chemistry.

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Palau

Official name: Republic of Palau

Capital city: Melekeok

Internet country code: .pw

Flag description: Light blue with a large yellow disk (rep­resenting the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side

National anthem: “Belau Rekid” (Our Palau), composed by Ymesei O. Ezekiel

Geographical description: Oceania, group of islands in the

North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines

Total area: 190 sq. mi. (458 sq. km.)

Climate: Tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

Nationality: noun: Palauan(s); adjective: Palauan

Population: 20,842 (July 2007 CIA est.)

Ethnic groups: Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%

Languages spoken: Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5%

Religions: Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Mod­ekngei (indigenous to Palau) 8.8%, Seventh-Day Adven­tist 5.3%, Jehovah’s Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4%

Legal Holidays:

Christmas Day	Dec 25
Constitution Day	Jul 9
Independence Day	Oct 1
Labor Day	Sep 5, 2011; Sep 3, 2012; Sep 2, 2013; Sep 1, 2014; Sep 7, 2015
New Year's Day	Jan 1
President's Day	Jun 1
Senior Citizens Day	May 5
Thanksgiving Day	Nov 24, 2011; Nov 29, 2012; Nov 28, 2013; Nov 27, 2014; Nov 26, 2015
United Nations Day	Oct 24
Youth Day	Mar 15

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Palau 

(Pelew), an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Caroline Islands. Trust territory of the USA. Area, approximately 490 sq km. Population, 12,500 (1970). The southern islands are composed of coral limestone, the northern islands of volcanic rock. The islands are subject to earthquakes. They have elevations to 224 m. Coconut palms, breadfruit trees, taro, and sugarcane are grown. Phosphorites are mined. The administrative center is at Koror.

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Palau 

a trench in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern slopes of the Palau Islands (in the Caroline Islands). Shaped like a “V,” the trench has very steep and intricately dissected sides. Maximum depth as measured in 1905 from the German ship Stefan is 8,138 m, and as measured from the Vitiaz’ in 1957, 8,054 m.