Palau

palau

[pə′lau̇]

(metallurgy)

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

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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; Sep 5, 2016; Sep 4, 2017; Sep 3, 2018; Sep 2, 2019; Sep 7, 2020; Sep 6, 2021; Sep 5, 2022; Sep 4, 2023
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; Nov 24, 2016; Nov 30, 2017; Nov 29, 2018; Nov 28, 2019; Nov 26, 2020; Nov 25, 2021; Nov 24, 2022; Nov 30, 2023
United Nations Day	Oct 24
Youth Day	Mar 15

Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. © 2010 by Omnigraphics, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

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.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.