Abstract
Palau is in the Northern Pacific ocean located South East of the Philippines. It is the most western part of the Caroline Islands and has over 300 islands in six groups. Its area is relatively small at 458 km2 and is about two and a half times bigger than Washington DC (CIA 2008). It is a constitutional republic (SBS Palau 2004).
The estimated population in July 2008 was 21,000 with a median age of 32 years and life expectancy 71 years. The capital is Melekeok and the major language is Palauan but according to the 2000 Census other significant languages are English, Filipino, Japanese Carolinian, Chinese, and ‘Other Asian’ (CIA 2008). The major ethnic group is Palauan which is a hybrid ethnicity combining Micronesian, Malayan and Melanesian. In the 2000 Census Palauan were 70% of the population while Filipinos were 15%, Chinese 5%, Carolinian 1%, and ‘Other Asian’, 2% (CIA 2008).
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BBCNews (2007) Country Profile: Palau. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/. Accessed 31 Mar 2008
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) (2008) Palau. CIA World Factbook. Available from https://www.cia.gov/. Accessed 10 Sept 2008
Constitution of the Republic of Palau (1979) Available from http://www.palauembassy.com/. Accessed 31 Oct 2008
Office of Planning and Statistics (2004) Republic of Palau 2000 Census: Population and Housing Profile. Available at http://www.spc.int/. Accessed 10 Sept 2008
SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) (2004) Palau. SBS World Guide. Available from http://sbs.com.au/. Accessed 10 Sept 2008
USDS (United States State Department) (2007) Palau. Report on International Religious Freedom. Available from http://www.state.gov/. Accessed 10 Sept 2008
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Bouma, G.D., Ling, R., Pratt, D. (2010). Palau. In: Religious Diversity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3389-5_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3389-5_22
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