The Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau) is an island nation in the geographic region of Micronesia (do not confuse with Federated States of Micronesia, they don’t like it).
The Palauan creation myth attributes the islands being made from the corpse of a giant, who himself was born to a giant clam that answered to the spirits' plea for life by spitting it out one by one. The name Palau is traditionally derived from the word aibebelau ("indirect replies"), which refers to this myth, though linguists seem more inclined to believe that it came from the word beluu, which means "village" or "territory".
The islands are located to the southeast of the Philippines and northeast of Indonesia, and it's believed that they were first settled by the ancestors of the Filipinos and Indonesians (or their close relatives) during the earliest stage of Austronesian expansion in the 3rd millennium BCE. Like Chamorro (the national language of Guam), the Palauan language is neither Micronesian nor Polynesian, and occupies a rather isolated place within the Malayo-Polynesian language family, as it doesn't seem to be closely related to any other Malayo-Polynesian language.
The Europeans discovered Palau in 1522. It was claimed for the Spanish Crown in 1710, and was ruled as part of the Spanish East Indies until 1899. Originally, in English, the country's name was spelled "Pelew". In 1783, the British ship Antelope was shipwrecked on the island, but the people helped the British repair it. In gratitude, its captain Henry Wilson agreed to bring back the king's son, Prince Le Boo, to visit Britain—unfortunately he died soon afterwards of smallpox, but it was one of the first introductions of Europeans to Pacific culture.
After a very brief period in which it was controlled by the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, Palau was handed over to Imperial Germany, as Spain restructured its assets by selling its Pacific territories for 25 million pesetas. Following World War I, Germany was forced to give up all of its overseas territories, including Palau, which was assigned to Imperial Japan.
During World War II, the islands witnessed heavy fighting between the Japanese and Americans, who ultimately occupied them. Palau remained administered by the United States until 1994, when it ratified the Compact of Free Association, which recognized Palauan independence, though the U.S. will still provide matters in defense and social services. Micronesia had earlier ratified the compact in 1986, but Palau decided to delay it, as it didn't want to be gobbled up by Micronesia.
The economy of the islands depends on fishing, agriculture and tourism. They have the first constitution free of nuclear tests in the world and they’re planning to be also the first country to protect sharks in their waters. Much like Guam, the country maintains a close relationship with Japan, which invests in projects, such as a bridge that connects the capital city, Koror, with the largest island, Babeldaob. Japanese is an official language in the state of Angaur, and the fact that the country's most popular sport is baseball is largely attributed to the Japanese.
Media-wise, the country is the location of the filming of the film Hell in the Pacific (starring Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin); also, two seasons of Survivor were filmed here, including the fan-favorite Survivor: Micronesia. The country is also mentioned in a song of Enya. Famous works set during World War II in Palau include The Pacific (of which 3 episodes focused on the Battle of Peleliu), the majority of the US Marine campaign in Call of Duty: World at War, and Rising Storm, which interestingly has two maps set here, Phosphate Plant, based on the one found on the island of Angaur, as well as Peleliu.
The Palauan flag
The Palauan national anthem
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Government
- Unitary presidential constitutional republic under a non-partisan democracy
- President: Surangel Whipps Jr.
- Vice President: Uduch Sengebau Senior
- Senate President: Hokkons Baules
- House Speaker: Sabino Anastacio
- Chief Justice: Oldiais Ngiraikelau
- Chairman of Council of Chiefs: Alexander Merep
Miscellaneous
- Capital: Ngerulmud
- Largest city: Koror
- Population: 17,907
- Area: 459 sq km (177 sq mi) (179th)
- Currency: United States dollar ($) (USD)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: PW
- Country calling code: 680
- Highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus (242 m/794 ft) (189th)
- Lowest point: Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)
