Palau

Palau, officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island country settled in the western Pacific. The country's population of around 21,000 is spread across 250 islands, which type the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. The most populous of those is Koror. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the near  island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau parts maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The country was originally settled approximately three,000 years agone by migrants from the Philippines and sustained a Negrito population till around 900 years ago. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the sixteenth century, and were made half of the Spanish East India in 1574. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Deutschland in 1899 below the terms of the German–Spanish written agreement, where they were administered as half of German Papua. The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered Palau during World War I, and the islands were later made a district of the Japanese-ruled Pacific Mandate by the League of states. During World War II, skirmishes, including the prime Battle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japanese troops as half of the Mariana and Belau campaign. Along with alternative Pacific Islands, Palau was made a half of the United States-governed territorial dominion of the Pacific Islands in 1947. Having voted against joining the united States of Micronesia in 1979, the islands gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the u.  s..

Politically, Palau is a presidential republic in cerebration with the u.  s., which provides defense, funding, and access to social services. Legislative power is concentrated in the bicameral Palau National Congress. Palau's economy is based in the main on business, subsistence agriculture and fishing, with a significant portion of gross national product (GNP) derived from economic aid. The country uses the United States dollar as its currency. The islands' culture mixes Japanese, Micronesian and Melanesian elements. The majority of citizens square measure of mixed Micronesian, Melanesian, and Austronesian descent, with significant teams descended from Japanese and Filipino settlers. The country's two official languages square measure Palauan (member of the wider Sunda–Sulawesi language group) and English, with Japanese, Sonsorolese, and Tobian recognised as regional languages.