Palau (2005) | Baker Island (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 26.4% (male 2,768/female 2,601)
15-64 years: 69% (male 7,565/female 6,436) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 443/female 490) (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes | - |
Airports | 3 (2004 est.) | 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely covered with vegetation and unusable (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
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Area | total: 458 sq km
land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1.4 sq km
land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. |
Birth rate | 18.37 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $57.7 million
expenditures: $80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 est.) |
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Capital | Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror | - |
Climate | tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November | equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun |
Coastline | 1,519 km | 4.8 km |
Constitution | 1 January 1981 | - |
Country name | 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) |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Baker Island |
Death rate | 6.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $0 (FY99/00) | - |
Dependency status | - | unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau
embassy: Koror (no street address) mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA
chancery: 1800 K Street NW, Suite 714, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam) |
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Disputes - international | border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $155.8 million ; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities | - |
Economy - overview | The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. | no economic activity |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 8 m |
Environment - current issues | inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing | no natural fresh water resources |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) | - |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | - |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29% |
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Exports | $18 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | - |
Exports - commodities | shellfish, tuna, copra, garments | - |
Exports - partners | US, Japan, Singapore (2000) | - |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | - |
Flag description | light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side | the flag of the US is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1% (2001 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 7 30 N, 134 30 E | 0 13 N, 176 31 W |
Geography - note | 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 | treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife |
Highways | total: 61 km
paved: 36 km unpaved: 25 km |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Imports | $99 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | - |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs | - |
Imports - partners | US, Guam, Japan, Singapore, South Korea (2000) | - |
Independence | 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | - |
Industries | tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making | - |
Infant mortality rate | total: 14.84 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.4% (2000 est.) | - |
International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO | - |
Irrigated land | NA | 0 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas | - |
Labor force | 9,845 (2000) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 20%, industry NA, services NA (1990) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 8.7%
permanent crops: 4.35% other: 86.95% (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
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% (2000 census) | - |
Legal system | based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws | the laws of the US, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament 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 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected) |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 70.14 years
male: 66.98 years female: 73.48 years (2005 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.) |
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Location | Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines | Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia |
Map references | Oceania | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | 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 | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) | - |
Nationality | noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan |
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Natural hazards | typhoons (June to December) | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals | guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
Net migration rate | 2.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 20,303 (July 2005 est.) | uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | - |
Population growth rate | 1.39% (2005 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Koror | none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002) | - |
Religions | 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 religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) | - |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 6,700 (2002) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,000 (2002) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (cable) (2005) | - |
Terrain | varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs | low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef |
Total fertility rate | 2.46 children born/woman (2005 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast |
Unemployment rate | 2.3% (2000 est.) | - |