constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Independence date
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Religions
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%
Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)
Languages
Spanish, Amerindian dialects
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% (2000 census)
lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.983 (2008 est.), 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Area
112,090 km sq
459 km sq
Coastline
820 km
1,519 km
Climate
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
