Geography
Location: Oceania, a group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines. See franciscogardening.com to know more about Palau Geography.
Geographic coordinates: 7° 30′ N. latitude, 134° 30′ E
Reference map: Oceania.
Area: total: 458 km2; land surface area: 458 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the area of Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 1,519 km.
Maritime claims: continental shelf: to a depth of 200 m or to the depth of field development; zone of exclusive right to fish: 12 nautical miles; general fishing area: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 3 nautical miles.
Climate: rainy season from May to November; hot and humid.
Terrain: Varied, from the high mountainous main island of Babelfuap to low coral islands, usually surrounded by large barrier reefs.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m; highest point: Mount Ngerchelchauus 242 m.
Natural resources: timber, mineral resources (especially gold), seafood, offshore mineral deposits.
Land use: arable land: no data; cultivated land: no data; pastures: no data; forests and plantations: no data; others: no data.
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural Hazards: Typhoons (June to December).
Current environmental issues: lack of opportunities for solid waste disposal; threat to marine ecosystems due to sand and coral mining, illegal and overfishing.
International agreements on environmental protection: participant: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea; signed but not ratified: no.
Note to the section “Geography”: during the Second World War there was a battle for Beliliou (Peleliu) and the rocky islands; the archipelago of six island groups has a total of more than 200 islands in the arc of the Caroline Islands.
Population
Population: 19,092 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 26.88% (male 2,641; female 2,491); 15 to 64 years old: 68.46% (male 7,128; female 5,943); over 65: 4.66% (male 420; female 469) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 1.69% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 19.64 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 7.23 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: 4.45 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male/female; under 15: 1.06 male/female; from 15 to 64 years: 1.2 male/female; over 65: 0.8 male/female; for the general population: 1.14 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 16.67 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 68.89 years; men: 65.77 years; women: 72.19 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 2.47 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: Palauan; adjective: pertaining to Palau.
Ethnic groups: Palauans (mixture of Micronesians with Malays and Melanesians) 70%, Asians (most Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese) 28%, whites 2% (2000 est.).
Believers: Christians (Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Assemblies of God, Liebenzel Mission, Latter-day Saints), a third of the population are Modekngei, the indigenous religion of Palau
Language(s): English and Palauan are official in all states except
Sonsoral (where sonsorol and English are official), Toby (where Toby and English are official) and Angaur (where Angaur, Japanese and English are official). able to read and write, for the general population: 92%, men: 93%, women: 90% (1980 est.).
Politics
conventional long form: Republic of Palau;
conventional short form: Palau; local long form: Beluu er a Belau; local short form: Belau former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands).
Government: constitutional form of government in free association with the United States; free association agreement with the United States entered into force on October 1, 1994.
Capital: Koror; note: the new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror.
Administrative divisions: 18 states: Aime-liik, Airai, Angaur, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngardmau, Ngarchelong, Ngatpang, Nge-remlengui, Ngival, Ngchesar, Palau Island, Peleliu, Sonsoral, Toby, Hatobohei.
Dependent Territories:
Independence: from October 1, 1994 (until 1978 – in the status of a United Nations trust territory administered by the US administration).
National holiday: Constitution Day, July 9 (since 1979).
Constitution: adopted January 1, 1981.
Legal system: based on trust territory laws, statutes, municipal, common and customary law.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
chief of state: President Tommy Esang RE-MENGESAU Jr. (Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr.) (since January 19, 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since January 19, 2001); note – the president is both head of state and head of government;
head of the government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. (since January 19, 2001) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since January 19, 2001); note – the president is both head of state and head of government;
government: cabinet of ministers; elections: president and vice president are elected by separate ballots by universal suffrage for 4 years; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held in November 2004); election results: Tommy Esang REMENGE SAU Jr. elected president; percent of the vote: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. 53%, Peter SUGIYAMA 46%; Sandra PIERAN-TOZZI elected Vice President; Percentage of the vote: Sandra PIERANTOZZI 42%, Alan SEID 45%.
Legislature: bicameral Parliament (Olbiil Era Kelulau) consists of the Senate (16 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years); elections: Senate – last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held November 2004); House of Delegates – last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held November 2004); election results: Senate, distribution of votes between parties: NA; distribution of seats among parties: no data; House of Delegates, distribution of votes between parties: no data; distribution of seats among parties: no data.
Judiciary: Supreme Court; National Court; Court of General Claims.
Political parties and leaders: Palau Nationalist Party (Johnson TORIBIONG); Ta Belau party (Kuniwo NAKAMURA [Kuniwo NAKAMURA]).
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: ACP, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO.
Diplomatic Representation in the USA: Head of Mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA; office: 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036; phone: [1] (202) 452-6814; fax: [\) (202) 452-6281;
US Diplomatic Mission: head of mission: Ambassador to the Philippines accredited to Palau; chargé d’affaires Allen E. NUGENT; embassy: address – no data, Kogog; mailing address: R. O. Box 6028, Palau 96940; phone: [680] 488-2920, 488-2990; fax: [680] 488-2911.
Flag Description: Light blue with a large yellow disc (representing the moon) slightly offset towards the pole.
