Simple directory > Regional > Palau

Country : Palau Official name: Belu'u era Belau (Republic of Palau) Head of State: President Tommy Remengesau (since Nov 2000; re-elected 2 Nov 2004) Head of government: President Tommy Remengesau Area: 380 square km Population: 20,802 (2004) Capital: Koror Official language: English, Palauan Currency: US dollar (US$) = 100 cents GDP per capita: US$9,000 (2003) GDP real growth: 2.00% (2003) Labour force: 9,845 (2003) Unemployment: 2.30% (2003) Inflation: 0.50% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$81.00 million (2003) Visitor numbers: 59,851 (2003)

Historical profile

1686 Spain claimed the islands.

1783 Britain emerged as Palau's main trading partner until 1885, when the Spanish returned and expelled its representatives.

1899 Spain sold the islands to Germany.

1914 Japan occupied Palau from the First World War to the end of the Second World War.

1947 Palau became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) administered by the US under an UN trusteeship mandate. The people of Palau are citizens of the TTPI.

1978 Palau voted against becoming a part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

1980 Palau adopted its own constitution.

1981 The first president was Haruu Remelik.

1982 A Compact of Free Association (CFA) was signed with the US.

1985 Disputes over the CFA are thought to have led to the assassination of President Haruu Remelik.

1986 The CFA agreed between the US and Palau gave the islands independence subject to defence being the responsibility of the US for 50 years. Successive referenda in Palau, however, failed to produce the required 75 per cent majority in favour of the Compact.

1987 Palau voted to amend its constitution to allow approval of the Compact by a simple majority. In a subsequent plebiscite, 73 per cent of the votes were cast for the Compact.

1988 The Palau Supreme Court ruled the constitutional change invalid on procedural grounds. The court held there were inconsistencies between the Compact and Palau's nuclear-free constitution, which is incompatible with the US defence commitment. President Lazarus Salii committed suicide.

1989 Agreements with the US provided aid in paying off foreign debt and funds for new development.

1993 Palau voted in a referendum to adopt the CFA with the US.

1994 Palau became an independent republic, adopting a new CFA with the US.

1996 President Kuniwo Nakamura was re-elected.

2000 Tommy Remengesau Jr won the presidential election.

2002 President Remengesau vetoed a gambling bill that would have allowed casinos to operate in the country, stating that despite weak economic conditions, he did not wish to encourage gambling.

2003 A new airport terminal was completed.

2004 New Zealand and Australia are proposing to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for the fifth time that a South Pacific whale sanctuary be created. In June, the New Zealand foreign minister tried to persuade Palau, which had formerly voted against the creation of a sanctuary, either to back the proposal, or abstain from voting. An outbreak of dengue fever was reported in July/August. Incumbent Tommy Remengesau was re-elected president in November.

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