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Palau Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Palau
Capital Koror
Area 488 sq km
188 sq mi
Palau: Flag and Anthem
Palau: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 21,093 (2008 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.16 percent (2008 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 24,320 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 26,300 (2050 estimate)
Population density 46 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
119 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 70 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural 30 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Koror 14,000 (2003 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Palauan (mix of Malay, Melanesian, and Polynesian), Filipino, Chinese
Languages
Palauan (official), English (official), Sonsorolese, Tobi
Religious affiliations
Christian 96 percent
Roman Catholic 44 percent
Protestant 29 percent
Other Christian 23 percent
Nonreligious 2 percent
Other 2 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 71 years (2008 estimate)
Female 74.4 years (2008 estimate)
Male 67.8 years (2008 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 14 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)
Population per physician 917 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 200 people (1998)
Literacy rate
Total 92 percent (1980)
Female 90 percent (1980)
Male 93 percent (1980)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 9.9 percent (2001-2002)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 9 years (2000)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 15 students per teacher (1998-1999)
Government
Form of government
Self-governing territory in free association with the United States pursuant to the Compact of Free Association of 1 October 1994. Palau is fully responsible for internal affairs. The United States retains responsibility for defense.
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 1 January 1981
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel Not available
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) Not available
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $157 million (2006)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $7,784.70 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 3.1 percent (2005)
Industry 19 percent (2005)
Services 76.9 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers Not available
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing Not available
Industry Not available
Services Not available
Unemployment rate Not available
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue Not available
Total expenditure Not available
Monetary unit
1 United States dollar (US$), consisting of 100 cents
Major trade partners for exports
United States and Japan
Major trade partners for imports
Sweden, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Philippines
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources Not available
Electricity from hydroelectric sources Not available
Electricity from nuclear sources Not available
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources Not available
Number of radios per 1,000 people 663 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people Not available
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 608 (1997 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.53 (2000)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people Not available
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people Not available
Paved road as a share of total roads Not available
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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