Palau
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Palau
conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District |
| Gevernment type | constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994 |
| Capital |
name: Melekeok
geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| Internet country code | .pw |
| Ports and terminals | Koror |
| Agriculture products | coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish |
| Industries | tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making |
| Geography |
| Location | Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines |
| Coordinates | 7 30 N, 134 30 E |
| Continent | Oceania |
| Area |
total: 458 sq km
land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 1,519 km |
| Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November |
| Terrain | varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs |
| Natural resources | forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals |
| Natural hazards | typhoons (June to December) |
| People |
| Population | 20,579 (July 2006 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% (2000 census) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) |
| Languages | 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% (2000 census) |
