constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
republic
Independence date
26 July 1847
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)
Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%
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)
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Exports
rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
External Debt
$228,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Area
459 km sq
111,369 km sq
Coastline
1,519 km
579 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
