Palau

History

Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country located in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands, while the eastern and central parts make up the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi), making it the sixteenth smallest country in the world. The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital, Ngerulmud, is located on the largest island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest. The country was originally settled approximately 1,000 BCE by migrants from Maritime Southeast Asia. Palau was first drawn on a European map by the Bohemian missionary Paul Klein (Klein (1652–1717) a missionary, pharmacist, botanist, astronomic observer and writer) based on a description given by a group of Palauans shipwrecked on the Philippine coast on Samar. The Palau islands were made part... Summary adapted from the English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). The live article includes citations, maps, and updates.