no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government
constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994
Independence date
Religions
Sunni Muslim
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
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
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)
Exports
External Debt
Exchange Rate
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Area
637,657 km sq
459 km sq
Coastline
3,025 km
1,519 km
Climate
principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
