Palau, Location, Language, Latest News

Palau Latest News

Seabirds have returned to Palau’s Ulong Island, helping nearby coral reefs recover just one year after invasive rats were removed.

About Palau

• It is an island nation located in the western Pacific Ocean.
• It consists of a tightly clustered archipelago of approximately 300 islands with a total land area of 458 sq.km.
• It is geographically positioned in both the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth.
• Palau shares maritime borders with the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, with Indonesia to the south, with the Philippines to the west, and with the international waters to the north.
• A huge barrier reef system, continuous on the west and broken on the east, encircles most of the archipelago.  
• Its major populated islands are Babeldaob, Koror, Malakal, Arakabesan, and Peleliu. 
• Located on Babeldaob (the largest island of Palau) is Ngerulmud, the capital of Palau. It is the world’s least populous capital city. 
• Koror is the largest and the most populous city of Palau. It acts as the main commercial center of Palau.
• Languages: Palauan, English, plus Japanese, Sonsorolese, and Tobian.
• Palau became independent in 1994, after being part of a United Nations trust territory administered by the US.
• It relies on financial aid from the US, provided under a Compact of Free Association, which gives the US responsibility for Palau’s defence and the right to maintain military bases there.

News: TOI