Palau
OFFICIAL NAME: Belu'u er a Belau (Republic of Palau)
CAPITAL CITY: Koror
POPULATION: 20000 (2005)
AREA: 488 km²
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): Palauan, English, others
RELIGION: Catholics 38%, Protestants 25%, Indigenous religions 27%, others 10%
COIN: US dollars
CURRENCY CODE: USD
ENGLISH NAME: Palau
INDEPENDENCE: 1994
POPULATION COMPOSITION: Palauans 75%, Filipinos 16%, Chinese 3%, others 6%
GDP PER residents: $ 5800 (2005)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 67 years, women 75 years (2005)
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: -
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: -
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .pw
Palau, Belau, archipelago and independent republic of the western
Pacific. By far the largest island is Babelthuap, while the largest town of
Koror is located on a small island just south of it. The famous Rock Islands are
protected and have almost cult status among scuba divers. Palau is characterized
by the long and continued association with the United States with a significant
focus on tourism. Both the economy and employment are dominated by the public
sector; since independence, this and political life have been marked by several
scandals. Local business is weakly developed; Palau's fishing waters are
exploited by Taiwanese fishermen and, despite favorable cultivation
opportunities, a large part of the food supply is imported.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Palau? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
National flag
The flag was officially adopted in 1981. The blue color symbolizes the end of
the foreign administration of the country. The yellow disc stands for the Moon,
which as a symbol brings light to the nation's unity and common destiny.
Art
The traditional art especially includes wood carving, tattooing and jewelry
making, including glass beads and the like, called "palaupenge". Most decorated
were the meeting houses (bai), which are only rarely built today. The
carved and painted gable decorations are still made, to tourists, and
illustrates local events and myths, often related to the sea.
History
The first settlements in Palau took place approximately 2500 BC The traditional
society was divided into loosely united political units that were matrilinearly
organized and had a strong social stratification. Archaeological excavations
have shown that agriculture has been practiced on extensive terraces, and
suggests that there have been trade relations with SEA-Asia as early as 200
BC. The Palau Islands were under Spanish control from the mid-1500's until
Germany bought them in 1899. Japan conquered the islands in 1914, but lost them
in 1944 to the United States, which by agreement with the UN in 1947 ruled Palau
as part of the Micronesian guardianship area.. In 1965, the Micronesian
Congress was established, giving the people of the area political participation,
but it was not until 1981 that Palau became an independent republic. An
agreement on a free union with the United States was rejected in a series of
referendums in Palau, especially because the United States would not respect
Palau's desire to be nuclear-weapon-free. In 1994, the federation was finally
approved after the eighth referendum, and Palau became a member of the UN.
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