Palau
Republic of Palau
Capital: Melekeok
History
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
Metric Units
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$12.3 million |
| Export Items |
shellfish, tuna, copra, garments |
| Export Partners |
No data |
| Imports |
$113.4 million |
| Import Items |
machinery and equipment, fuels, metals |
| Import Partners |
No data |
People
| Population |
21,108 |
| Population Growth |
0.37% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, Mormon 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) |
| Life Expectancy |
72.33 years |
| Infant Mortality |
1.12 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
1.4 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
