constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
parliamentary republic
Independence date
5 August 1960 (from France)
Religions
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)
Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
Languages
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)
French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population
Exports
cotton, livestock, gold
External Debt
$2,335,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Western Africa, north of Ghana
Area
459 km sq
274,200 km sq
Coastline
1,519 km
0 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
