Palau

Palau /pəˈlaʊ/ (help·info), officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles (3,200 km) south of Tokyo. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and smallest sovereign states. In English, the name is sometimes spelled Belau in accordance with the native pronunciation. It was formerly also spelled Pelew.

Contents

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Archaeology
  • 1.2 European contact
  • 1.3 Spanish rule
  • 1.4 German era
  • 1.5 Japanese rule
  • 1.6 World War II
• 2 Politics and government
  • 2.1 Free association
    • 2.1.1 Foreign relations
  • 2.2 Nuclear-free constitution
  • 2.3 Asylum for former Guantanamo prisoners
• 3 States
• 4 Geography
  • 4.1 Climate
  • 4.2 Environment
• 5 Economy
• 6 Demographics
• 7 Culture
  • 7.1 Libraries and museums
• 8 Transport
• 9 In the media
• 10 See also
• 11 References
• 12 External links

Republic of Palau Beluu er a Belau
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Belau loba klisiich er a kelulul
Orthographic projection centred over Palau.
Capital		Melekeok1 7°21′N 134°28′E / 7.35°N 134.467°E / 7.35; 134.467
Largest city		Koror
Official languages		English, Palauan
Recognised regional languages		Japanese Angaur (in Angaur) Sonsorolese (in Sonsoral) Tobian (in Hatohobei) Carolinian, Filipino, Chinese
Demonym		Palauan
Government		Democratic presidential republic
-	President	Johnson Toribiong
-	Vice President	Kerai Mariur
Independence from UN Trust Territory status
-	Date	October 1, 1994
Area
-	Total	459 km2 (195th) 177 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	July 2007 estimate	20,842 (211th)
-	Density	43/km2 (155th) 111/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$157.7 million2 (not ranked)
-	Per capita	$10,000 (not ranked)
HDI (2003)		0.864 (unranked) (n/a)
Currency		US dollar (USD)
Time zone		(UTC+9)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.pw
Calling code		680