Page 45 - Micronesia
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Palau: A Natural Wonder
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau is an island country sia. The country was originally settled around 3,000 years ago by
located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is geographically part migrants from the Philippines and sustained a Negrito population
of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country’s population until around 900 years ago. The islands were first visited by Eu-
of around 21,000 is spread across 250 islands forming the western ropeans in the 18th century, and were made part of the Spanish
chain of the Caroline Islands. The most populous island is Koror. East Indies in 1885. Following Spain’s defeat in the Spanish–Amer-
The capital Ngerulmud is located in Melekeok State on the nearby ican War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in
island of Babeldaob. The islands share maritime boundaries with 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, where they
Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Microne- were administered as part of German New Guinea.
