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The name "Palau" originated in the Spanish Los Palaos, eventually entering English via the German Palau. An archaic name for the islands in English was the "Pelew Islands". [16] The name of the country "Palau" is most likely not derived from the Malay word "Pulau," despite the similarity in its word form.
The Palau archipelago contains more than 250 islands and islets stretched along a 150 km north south trending arc in the western Pacific. Its center is located near 7° north latitude, some 650 km north of Jayapura on the island of New Guinea , and near 134° east latitude, some 900 km east of Mindanao , Philippines.
The Pope recognized the Spanish claim, but granted economic concessions to Britain and Germany. Palau then became part of the Spanish East Indies, along with the Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the rest of the Caroline Islands. They were all administered from the Philippines. In 1885 the Spanish gained administrative control of the ...
Palau's recent history has been dominated by outside influences from Spain, Britain, Germany, Japan and the US. Palau saw some of the region's fiercest fighting in World War Two.
The Spanish government therefore decided to sell the remaining islands to a new colonial power: the German Empire. The treaty, which was signed by Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Silvela on 12 February 1899, transferred the Caroline Islands (Kosrae in the east to Palau in the west), the Mariana Islands, and other possessions to Germany.
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Palau is divided into sixteen administrative regions, called states. Palau has a high ratio of government offices to citizens, with 16 states and both a tribal chiefdom and elected legislature in each state, for 20,000 people. [1]
Geography of Palau. Palau is: an island country; Location: Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere; Pacific Ocean. North Pacific Ocean Oceania. Micronesia; Time zone: UTC+09; Extreme points of Palau High: Mount Ngerchelchuus on Babeldaob 242 m (794 ft) Low: North Pacific Ocean 0 m; Land boundaries: none; Coastline: North Pacific Ocean 1,519 km