constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date)
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)
Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)
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)
Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Exports
machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003)
External Debt
$184,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
forints (HUF) per US dollar - 171.8 (2008), 183.83 (2007), 210.39 (2006), 199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.750%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
10
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Central Europe, northwest of Romania
Area
459 km sq
93,028 km sq
Coastline
1,519 km
0 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
