Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean. Koror Island is home to the former capital, also called Koror, and is the islands’ commercial center. Larger Babeldaob has the present capital, Ngerulmud, plus mountains and sandy beaches on its east coast. In its north, ancient basalt monoliths known as Badrulchau lie in grassy fields surrounded by palm trees.
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%
Ethnic Groups: Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 70%, Asian (mainly Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) 28%, white 2%
Belief Systems: 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 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4%
Demographics:
Population: 21186 people (World Rank: 225th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 120 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 170th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 0.361 %/yr (World Rank: 174th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 71.2 years (World Rank: 142nd) (2009 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Palau
Worlldatlas.com
Country Profile for Palau
United Nations
PalauWikipedia.org
Palau - Facts and Information 1
Encyclopedia.com
Palau - Facts and Information 2
World Factbook
Culture and Tourism:
Traveling to Palau 1
Travelnotes.org
Travel Guide for Palau
Wikitravel.org
Language Resources:
Palauan language and alphabet
Omniglot.com
Government Related:
Embassy of Palau
in Washington D.C.
Government Websites of Palau
by Gunnar Anzinger
Current Local Weather:
