Palau

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palau

[pə′lau̇]

(metallurgy)

A palladium-gold alloy; used as a platinum substitute in analytical chemistry.

Palau

Official name: Republic of Palau

Capital city: Melekeok

Internet country code: .pw

Flag description: Light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side

National anthem: “Belau Rekid” (Our Palau), composed by Ymesei O. Ezekiel

Geographical description: Oceania, group of islands in the

North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines

Total area: 190 sq. mi. (458 sq. km.)

Climate: Tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

Nationality: noun: Palauan(s); adjective: Palauan

Population: 20,842 (July 2007 CIA est.)

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%

Languages spoken: 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%

Religions: Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei (indigenous to Palau) 8.8%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah’s Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4%

Legal Holidays:

Christmas Day	Dec 25
Constitution Day	Jul 9
Independence Day	Oct 1
Labor Day	Sep 5, 2011; Sep 3, 2012; Sep 2, 2013; Sep 1, 2014; Sep 7, 2015; Sep 5, 2016; Sep 4, 2017; Sep 3, 2018; Sep 2, 2019; Sep 7, 2020; Sep 6, 2021; Sep 5, 2022; Sep 4, 2023
New Year's Day	Jan 1
President's Day	Jun 1
Senior Citizens Day	May 5
Thanksgiving Day	Nov 24, 2011; Nov 29, 2012; Nov 28, 2013; Nov 27, 2014; Nov 26, 2015; Nov 24, 2016; Nov 30, 2017; Nov 29, 2018; Nov 28, 2019; Nov 26, 2020; Nov 25, 2021; Nov 24, 2022; Nov 30, 2023
United Nations Day	Oct 24
Youth Day	Mar 15

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Palau

(Pelew), an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Caroline Islands. Trust territory of the USA. Area, approximately 490 sq km. Population, 12,500 (1970). The southern islands are composed of coral limestone, the northern islands of volcanic rock. The islands are subject to earthquakes. They have elevations to 224 m. Coconut palms, breadfruit trees, taro, and sugarcane are grown. Phosphorites are mined. The administrative center is at Koror.

Palau

a trench in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern slopes of the Palau Islands (in the Caroline Islands). Shaped like a “V,” the trench has very steep and intricately dissected sides. Maximum depth as measured in 1905 from the German ship Stefan is 8,138 m, and as measured from the Vitiaz’ in 1957, 8,054 m.

References in periodicals archive ?

There are more than 50 marine lakes in Palau, five of them containing jellyfish but only the one Jellyfish Lake is open to visitors.

Tourists return to bathe with Palau's golden jellyfish

The diving in Palau is good year-round, but in December, the upwellings start-bringing colder water up from the depths, and with that, bigger marine life, as well.

Christmas holiday diving in Palau

It went on to approve -- by a recorded vote of 154 in favor to 5 against (Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, United States), with 8 abstentions (Australia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Guatemala, Palau, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Togo) -- the draft "Applicability of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the other occupied Arab territories".

UNGA votes overwhelmingly in favor of pro-Palestine resolutions

The agreement was reached during the warm meeting between President Duterte and Palau President Thomas Remengesau Jr.

PH, Palau agree to enhance ties

The establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Palau, as well as the peoples, proceeds from the intentions to encourage cooperation and mutual understanding between the countries, according to the signed document.

Azerbaijan establishes diplomatic relations with Palau

President of Palau Tommy Remengesau led the official commissioning of the service.

ADB joins Palau government

The Palau Spur interconnects with the existing SEA-US submarine cable (which connects the Philippines and Indonesia to the west coast of the United States via Guam and Hawaii) from a branching unit located between the Philippines and Guam.

BSCC and NEC Announce the Completion of a New Submarine Cable Linking the Republic of Palau

BBDO had begun to emerge in February, but it wasn't until May that the announcement was officially made and Palau's switch from global advertising network to independent media entity was confirmed.

Sound & vISIon

Only a handful of Palau's 250 islands are inhabited, and Internet speeds, even in the region's population centers, approximate those of ancient dial-up modems.

Palau: paving a path for prosperity in a pacific paradise

Civic Action Team (CAT) Palau 84-03 is a contingent of 11 enlisted Soldiers and two officers who are deployed to Camp Katuu in the Republic of Palau.

Civic Action Team in Palau starts with the ABCs--access roads, bus stops, and challenging obstacles

On a positive note, in the Pacific nation of Palau, in April 2014, a new penal code was introduced which removed previous legal provisions that criminalised consensual same-sex sexual activity between men.