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Palau [pəˈlaʊ] (help·info), officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800 km) east of the Philippines and 2000 miles (3200 km) south of Tokyo. Having emerged from United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and smallest nations. It is sometimes referred to in English under its native name Belau.
History
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Archaeology
Early Palauans may have come from Australia, Polynesia and Asia. Depending on the thread of the family, Palauans may indeed represent many parts of Melanesia, Micronesia
and Polynesia. However, it is traditionally considered to be
Micronesian. According to geneticists, there are two distinctive
strains of Melanesian bloodlines: one is associated with indigenous
Australians/Papua New Guineans and the other is known to have originated in Asia. There has not been any link established between the two.
Until recently, Palau was not considered a part of Micronesia. In the European and Australian world Belau/Pelew is better known by the name of "The Black Islands". Vintage maps and village drawings can be found at the Australian library online, as well as photos of the tattooed and pierced Ibedul of Koror and Ludee.
Carbon dating and recent archaeological discoveries have brought new
attention to the archipelago. Cemeteries uncovered in islands have
shown Palau has the oldest burial ceremony known to Oceania.
Prior to this there has been much dispute as to whether Palau was
established during 2500 BC or 1000 BC. New studies seem to dispute both
of these findings. Moreover, Palau's ancient trading partner, Java, has
also come under close scrutiny since Homo floresiensis was found. Like Flores, remains of small-bodied humans have been found in Palau.[1]
For thousands of years, Palauans have had a well established
matrilineal society, believed to have descended from Javanese
precedents. Traditionally, land, money, and titles passed through the
female line. Clan lands continue to be passed through titled women and
first daughters[2] but there is also a modern patrilineal sentiment introduced by imperial Japan. The Japanese government attempted to confiscate and redistribute tribal land into personal ownership during World War II, and there has been little attempt to restore the old order. Legal entanglements continue amongst the various clans.[3]
European contact
Historians take interest in the early navigational routes of
European explorers in the Pacific. There is a certain controversy as to
whether Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, who landed in several Caroline Islands,
spotted the Palau archipielago in 1543. No conclusive evidence exists
but there are some who think he could have seen the tip of a
southernmost island in the group.
Palau had limited relations—mainly with Yap and Java.
Had it not have been for ship-wrecked islanders who accidentally took
refuge in the Philippines, Europeans likely would not have found a
route to Palau until much later. English Captain Henry Wilson also shipwrecked off the island of Ulong in 1783.[4] Wilson dubbed Palau the “Pelew Islands”.
Spanish rule
Like the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands and the Marshall Islands, Palau was part of the Spanish East Indies, and was administered from the Spanish Philippines until the Spanish-American War of 1898.
In 1885, after Germany occupied some of the islands, a dispute was brought to Pope Leo XIII,
who made an attempt to legitimize the Spanish claim to the islands (but
with economic concessions for Britain and Germany). Spain in 1899,
after defeat during the Spanish-American War, sold the islands to
Germany in the 1899 German-Spanish Treaty. [5][6]
German era
After the Spanish sold the islands to Germany, the Germans began an
economic transformation in Micronesia. The Germans began mining bauxite (an aluminum ore), Phosphate,
and other resources. The islands were also administered by German New
Guinea. Mining continued throughout Micronesia even after the Germans
lost the islands to Japan under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, after World War I. The Japanese continued and expanded the mining operations.
Japanese rule
Koror in the Japanese Period
During World War I, under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the Empire of Japan declared war on the German Empire and invaded German overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean, including the Palau Islands. Following Germany's defeat, the League of Nations formally awarded Palau to Japan as a Class C League of Nations Mandate. [7]
Under the terms of a “Class C Mandate” Japan incorporated the islands as an integral part of its empire, establishing the Nanyo-cho government. [8] Initially under Imperial Japanese Navy
administration, civilian control was introduced from 1922, and Palau
was one of six administrative districts within the Mandate. Japan
mounted an aggressive economic development program and promoted immigration by Japanese, Okinawans and Koreans. During this period, the Japanese established bonito (tuna production) and copra processing plants in Palau.
World War II
Peleliu
was the scene of intense fighting between American and Japanese forces
beginning September 1944 resulting in an Allied victory, though the
cost in human terms was high for both sides. After WWII, the United Nations played a role in deciding the U.S. would administer Palau as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Eventually, in 1979, Palauans voted against joining the Federated States of Micronesia based on language and cultural differences. After a long period of transition, including the violent deaths of two presidents (Haruo Remeliik in 1985 and Lazarus Salii in 1988), Palau voted to freely associate with the United States in 1994 while opting to retain independence under the Compact of Free Association.
There are still roughly 100 American service members listed as
Missing In Action (MIA) in Palau since WWII. Since 1993, a small group
of American volunteers called The BentProp Project
have searched the waters and jungles of Palau to attempt to locate
information that can lead to the identification and recovery of remains
of these American MIAs.
Politics and government
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The New Capitol building in Palau.
Palau's politics takes place in a multi-party framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Palau is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government, while legislative power is vested in both the government and the Palau National Congress. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Foreign relations
Palau gained its independence October 1, 1994, when the Compact of Free Association with the United States came into force. Palau was the last portion of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
to gain its independence. Under the Compact, the U.S. remains
responsible for Palau's defense for 50 years, and Palauans are allowed
to serve in the U.S. military without having to possess permanent
residency in the U.S.
Palau is a sovereign nation and conducts its own foreign relations.
Since independence, Palau has established diplomatic relations with a
number of nations, including many of its Pacific neighbors. Palau was
admitted to the United Nations on December 15, 1994,
and has since joined several other international organizations. In
September 2006, Palau hosted the first Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit,
and its President has gone on several official visits to other Pacific
countries, including the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The United States maintains the usual diplomatic delegation and an
embassy in Palau, but most aspects of the two countries' relationship
have to do with Compact-funded projects, which are the responsibility
of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs.[9] This has led to some ambiguity in the official status of Palau, though regarded as de jure independent.
Nuclear-free constitution
In 1981, Palau voted for the world's first nuclear-free
constitution. However, this delayed Palau's independence as it also
wanted a Compact of Free Association with the United States, which the U.S. would not agree to as long as the anti-nuclear clause was in place; thus the United Nations delayed terminating the U.S. trusteeship. Palauan independence was finally achieved after the anti-nuclear clause was repealed.
One of the notable aspects of the Palauan resistance to nuclear research is the leadership of women activists such as Cita Morei and Isabella Sumang.[citation needed]
States
The sixteen states of Palau.
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Palau is divided into sixteen states (until 1984 called municipalities):
Historically, Palau's uninhabited Rock Islands have been part of the State of Koror.
Geography
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Palau's most populated islands are Angaur, Babeldaob, Koror, and Peleliu. The latter three lie together within the same barrier reef, while Angaur is an Oceanic Island several miles to the South. About two-thirds of the population lives on Koror. The coral atoll of Kayangel is situated north of these islands, while the uninhabited Rock Islands (about 200) are situated to the west of the main island group. A remote group of six islands, known as the Southwest Islands, some 375 miles (600 km) from the main islands, are also part of the country and make up the States of Hatohobei and Sonsorol.
Climate
Palau enjoys a tropical climate all year round with an annual mean temperature of 82 °F (27 °C). Rainfall can occur throughout the year, averaging a total of 150 inches
(3,800 mm). The average humidity over the course of the year is 82%,
and although rain falls more frequently between July and October, there
is still much sunshine. Typhoons are rare, as Palau is outside the main typhoon zone.
Environment
While much of Palau's natural environment remains free of
environmental degradation, there are several areas of concern,
including illegal fishing with the use of dynamite, inadequate
facilities for disposal of solid waste in Koror,
and extensive sand and coral dredging in the Palau lagoon. Like the
other Pacific island nations, a potential major environmental threat is
global warming and the related rising of sea level. Water coverage of
low-lying areas is a threat to coastal vegetation, agriculture, and the
purity of the nation's water supply. Palau also has a problem with
inadequate water supply and limited agricultural areas to support the
size of the population. The nation is also vulnerable to earthquakes,
volcanic activity, and tropical storms. Sewage treatment is a problem,
along with the handling of toxic waste from fertilizers and biocides.
On November 5, 2005, President of Palau Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. took the lead on a regional environmental initiative called the Micronesia challenge, which would conserve 30 percent of near shore coast
Classical
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