"text":"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."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"7 30 N, 134 30 E"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Oceania"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"459 sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"459 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"0 sq km"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC"
},
"Land boundaries":{
"text":"0 km"
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"1,519 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"territorial sea":{
"text":"3 nm"
},
"exclusive fishing zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"varying topography from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs"
"text":"inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"none of the selected agreements"
}
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"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"
"text":"Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 72.5%, Carolinian 1%, other Micronesian 2.4%, Filipino 16.3%, Chinese 1.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other Asian 3.4%, white 0.9%, other 0.3% (2005 est.)"
},
"Languages":{
"text":"Palauan (official on most islands) 66.6%, Carolinian 0.7%, other Micronesian 0.7%, English (official) 15.5%, Filipino 10.8%, Chinese 1.8%, other Asian 2.6%, other 1.3%",
"note":{
"text":"Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official) (2005 est.)"
}
},
"Religions":{
"text":"Roman Catholic 49.4%, Protestant 30.9% (includes Protestant (general) 23.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.3%, and other Protestant 2.5%), Modekngei 8.7% (indigenous to Palau), Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 8.8%, none or unspecified 1.1% (2005 est.)"
"text":"President Tommy REMENGESAU (since 17 January 2013); Vice President Antonio BELLS (since 17 January 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"President Tommy REMENGESAU (since 17 January 2013); Vice President Antonio BELLS (since 17 January 2013)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Cabinet appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate; also includes the vice president; the Council of Chiefs consists of chiefs from each of the states who advise the president on issues concerning traditional laws, customs, and their relationship to the constitution and laws of Palau"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"president and vice president directly elected on separate ballots by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016)"
},
"election results":{
"text":"Tommy REMENGESAU elected president; percent of vote - Tommy REMENGESAU 58%, Johnson TORIBIONG 42%; Antonio BELLS elected vice president"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau consists of the Senate (9 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by majority vote to serve 4-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)"
},
"elections":{
"text":"Senate - last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016); House of Delegates - last held on 6 November 2012 (next to be held in November 2016)"
"text":"Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 3 associate justices organized into appellate trial divisions; also within the Supreme Court organization are the Common Pleas and Land Courts)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"justices nominated by a 7-member independent body consisting of judges, presidential appointees, and lawyers, and appointed by the president; judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 65"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"National Court and other 'inferior' courts"
"text":"Ambassador Hersey KYOTA (since 12 November 1997)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"1701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 452-6814"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 452-6281"
},
"consulate(s)":{
"text":"Tamuning (Guam)"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador Helen P. REED-ROWE (since 27 September 2013)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"Koror (no street address)"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"P. O. Box 6028, Koror, Republic of Palau 96940"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[680] 587-2920"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[680] 587-2911"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"light blue with a large yellow disk shifted slightly to the hoist side; the blue color represents the ocean, the disk represents the moon; Palauans consider the full moon to be the optimum time for human activity; it is also considered a symbol of peace, love, and tranquility"
},
"National symbol(s)":{
"text":"bai (native meeting house); national colors: blue, yellow"
"text":"The economy consists of tourism and other services such as trade, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. Government is a major employer of the work force relying on financial assistance from the US under the Compact of Free Association (Compact) with the US that took effect after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994. The US provided Palau with roughly $700 million in aid for the first 15 years following commencement of the Compact in 1994 in return for unrestricted access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes. The population enjoys a per capita income roughly double that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. ++ ++ Business and leisure tourist arrivals numbered over 125,000 in fiscal year 2014, a 13.4% increase over the previous year. Long-run prospects for tourism have been bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of industrial East Asia, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. Proximity to Guam, the region's major destination for tourists from East Asia, and a regionally competitive tourist infrastructure enhance Palau's advantage as a destination."
"text":"no TV stations; a cable TV network covers the major islands and provides access to rebroadcasts, on a delayed basis, of a number of US stations, as well as access to a number of real-time satellite TV channels; about a half dozen radio stations (1 government-owned) (2009)"
"text":"no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2009)"
},
"Military - note":{
"text":"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, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2008)"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines, Indonesia"
