Palau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of Palau Beluu er a Belau
Flag Seal
Anthem: [Belau rekid] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) Our Palau
Capital	Ngerulmud, Melekeok Statea
Largest city	Koror
Official languages	English Palauan
Recognised regional languages	Japanese (in Angaur) Sonsorolese (in Sonsoral) Tobian (in Hatohobei)
Ethnic groups (2000)	69.9% Palauan 15.3% Filipino 4.9% Chinese 2.4% other Asian 1.9% White 1.4% Carolinian 1.1% other Micronesian 3.2% other / unspecified
Demonym(s)	Palauan
Government	Unitary presidential democratic republic
• President	Tommy Remengesau
• Vice President	Antonio Bells
Legislature	National Congress
Independence
• Compact of Free Association with the United States	1 October 1994
Area
• Total	459 km2 (177 sq mi) (196th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2011 estimate	20,956 (218th)
• Density	28.4/km2 (73.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2008 estimate
• Total	$164 million (not ranked)
• Per capita	$8,100 (119th)
HDI (2011)	0.782 high · 49th
Currency	United States dollar (USD)
Time zone	UTC+9
Driving side	right
Calling code	+680
ISO 3166 code	PW
Internet TLD	.pw
On 7 October 2006, government officials moved their offices in the former capital of Koror to Ngerulmud in Melekeok State, located 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Koror on Babelthaup Island and 2 km (1 mi) northwest of Melekeok village.

Map of Palau

Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island nation. It is in the Pacific Ocean. Palau is 300 miles (500 km) east of the Philippines. It got independence from United Nations trusteeship administration (administered by the United States of America) in 1994. It is one of the world's youngest and smallest nations. It is sometimes referred to in English under its native name Belau. The capital city of Palau is Melekeok. This has been true since October 1, 2006.

States

The sixteen states of Palau

Palau is divided into sixteen administrative states:

Climate

Palau has a tropical climate all year round. Average yearly temperature is around 82 °F (27 °C).

Related pages

• List of rivers of Palau
• Palau at the Olympics
• Palau national football team

Images for kids

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  Manila Galleon in the Marianas and Carolinas, c. 1590 Boxer Codex.

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  An 1888 map showing the Palau Islands of the Spanish East Indies (excluding the Philippine Islands).

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  Palau under German rule; painting by Rudolf Hellgrewe c. 1908.

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  Koror chiefs in 1915.

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  Palau in Japanese mandate

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  Aerial view of Ngerukewid

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  Aerial view of Rock Islands

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  Rock Islands in Palau

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  An aerial view of limestone islands

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  Artificially made German Channel is one of the most popular dive sites. It is also a major transport route for boats that connects the lagoon to the Pacific Ocean in south-west.

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  Aerial view of Koror–Babeldaob Bridge in 2016.

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  Palau International Airport

• 

  A traditional Palauan bai

See also

In Spanish: Palaos para niños