After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.

Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines

7 30 N, 134 30 E

Oceania

total: 459 sq km
country comparison to the world: 198
land: 459 sq km
water: 0 sq km

slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

1,519 km

territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m

forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals

arable land: 2.17%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 93.48% (2011)

NA

typhoons (June to December)

inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands

noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan

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)

Palauan (official on most islands) 64.7%, Filipino 13.5%, English (official) 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
note: Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)

Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, Mormon 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)

21,108 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 220

0-14 years: 20.7% (male 2,250/female 2,110)
15-24 years: 17.6% (male 1,849/female 1,875)
25-54 years: 46.6% (male 5,981/female 3,854)
55-64 years: 8.3% (male 615/female 1,129)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 407/female 1,038) (2013 est.)

total: 32.9 years
male: 32.5 years
female: 33.9 years (2013 est.)

0.37% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159

10.9 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176

7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63

urban population: 83% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.55 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.55 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.4 male(s)/female
total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 132
male: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 72.33 years
country comparison to the world: 133
male: 69.17 years
female: 75.68 years (2013 est.)

1.72 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168

32.8%
note: percent of women aged 15-44 (2003)

10.6% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 18

1.38 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

4.8 beds/1,000 population (2010)

NA

NA

NA

48.9% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 7

10.3% of GDP (2002)
country comparison to the world: 5

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90% (1980 est.)

total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2001)

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

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force on 1 October 1994

name: Melekeok
geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol

1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)

ratified 9 July 1980, effective 1 January 1981; amended 1992, 2004 (2011)

mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Tommy REMENGESAU (since 17 January 2013); Vice President Antonio BELLS (since 17 January 2013); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Tommy REMENGESAU (since 17 January 2013); Vice President Antonio BELLS (since 17 January 2013)
cabinet: NA

elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016)
election results: percent of vote - Tommy REMENGESAU 58%, Johnson TORIBIONG 42%

bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016); House of Delegates - last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016)
election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 16

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 3 associate justices organized into appellate trial divisions; also within the Supreme Court organization are the Common Pleas and Land Courts)
judge selection and term of office: justices nominated by a 7-member independent body consisting of judges, presidential appointees, and lawyers, and appointed by the president; judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 65
subordinate courts: National Court and other 'inferior' courts

none

NA

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO

chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA (since 12 November 1997)
chancery: 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814
FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281
consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)

chief of mission: Ambassador Helen P. REED-ROWE (since 27 September 2013)
embassy: Koror (no street address)
mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Koror, Republic of Palau 96940
telephone: [680] 587-2920
FAX: [680] 587-2911

light blue with a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the hoist side; the blue color represents the ocean, the disk represents the moon; Palauans consider the full moon to be the optimum time for human activity; it is also considered a symbol of peace, love, and tranquility

name: "Belau rekid" (Our Palau)
lyrics/music: multiple/Ymesei O. EZEKIEL
note: adopted 1980

The economy consists of tourism and other services such as trade, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. Government is a major employer of the work force relying on financial assistance from the US under the Compact of Free Association (Compact) with the US. The Compact took effect, after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994. The US provided Palau with roughly $700 million in aid for the first 15 years following commencement of the Compact in 1994 in return for unrestricted access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes. Business and leisure tourist arrivals numbered over 109,000 in 2011, for a 27% increase over 2010. The population enjoys a per capita income roughly double that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for tourism have been bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of industrial East Asia, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. Proximity to Guam, the region's major destination for tourists from East Asia, and a regionally competitive tourist infrastructure enhance Palau's advantage as a destination.

$221 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy

$221 million (2011 est.)

6.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39

$10,500 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114

agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 20%
services: 76.8% (2012 est.)

coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish

tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making

NA%

9,777 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 217

agriculture: 20%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (1990)

4.2% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

revenues: $89 million
expenditures: $94.3 million (2010 est.)

40.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45

-2.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96

1 October - 30 September

2.7% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79

$NA

$-20.8 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60

$12.3 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208

shellfish, tuna, copra, garments

$113.4 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 212

machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs

$0 (FY99/00)
country comparison to the world: 202

the US dollar is used

7,300 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 205

17,150 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 210

domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular services available with a combined subscribership of roughly 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2009)

no TV stations; a cable TV network covers the major islands and provides access to rebroadcasts, on a delayed basis, of a number of US stations as well as access to a number of real-time satellite TV channels; about a half dozen radio stations with 1 government-owned (2009)

.pw

4 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 231

3 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 194

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2013)

major seaport(s): Koror

no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2009)

males age 16-49: 6,987 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 5,272
females age 16-49: 3,969 (2010 est.)

male: 216
female: 222 (2010 est.)

defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2008)