GEOGRAPHY

Seen from above, the islands of Palau look like green calligraphy on an empty corner of the sea. Over 470 miles east of the Philippines and locked in by the stretching Pacific Ocean, Palau is a rare oasis, a self-contained, isolated archipelago thriving with biodiversity and abundance. Exact location is at 7 ∞ 30' North Latitude, 133 ∞ 30' East Latitude. Palau is the western most island group of a region called the West Caroline Islands, which is part of a larger region called Micronesia. Nations in the Micronesia region include the U.S. Territory of Guam, The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (of which Yap is a state), and the Republic of Palau.

Palau Maps:

Oceania Region Map:
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm

Interactive Zoom Map:
http://www.palaunet.com/Maps.asp

Online collection of maps:
http://www.palaunet.com/Maps.asp

HISTORY

There is not much information widely available about Palau, and it is not part of a major continent, but rather in the middle of Oceania. This isolation has kept Palau free from the ravishes of mass-tourism development, but the isolation has also kept away the wide scholarly study of artifacts from Palau's ancient and highly skilled traditional culture, dating back to 1000 BC. † However, those persistent enough to visit Palau can unlock the rich history of a Palauan traditional culture swept into the middle of battles between the superpowers.

Palau served as a hot middle ground between warring superpowers from the east Japan to the west United States. Exploited by Spanish conquest and imperialism in 1885 and sold to Germany in 1899, Palau was placed under Japanese control in 1914 by rule of the League of Nations after WWI. By this time the indigenous Palauan population had been reduced by nearly 70% from exposure to foreign diseases such as small pox. From 1914 until WWII, Palau became a major Japanese naval base and center of control for Japan's Pacific holdings. Koror, Palau's main state, became a bustling Japanese metropolis, with large phosphate mines and copra exports to Japan, as well as a huge foreigner population.

During WWII, the United States attacked the Japanese base at Palau. They launched the "Desecrate I" air raid on March 30 and 31, 1944, which resulted in the Lost Fleet of the Rock Islands, Japanese shipwrecks that we dive today. The tiny island of Peleliu was besieged by U.S. forces for two months. The war obliterated the capital island city of Koror, shed blood on the reefs around Palau, and left a sunken graveyard of ships and bones in the still sea.

At the end of the war, from 1948 until 1994, the United States was designated to provide for Palau under the United Nations Trust Territory agreement, however the islands were left mostly neglected. The US was supposed to oversee the rebuilding and development of a sovereign Palau, which did not happen until the 1994 Compact of Free Association Agreement, in which Palau's government became locally independent from the United States, yet still accepted funding from the US government in exchange for United States military use of the land. There is still much controversy around the nebulous terms of the agreement.

Palau still exists under the Compact of Free Association with the United States, where both Palauans and US citizens are given special privileges in each other's land and the US gives the Palauan government money so that the US may keep the strategically located islands away from any rival foreign power's hands.

The traditional history of Palau, before all the powers invaded and influenced, leaves much to be studied. Carbon dating places inhabitants on the Rock Islands as early as 1000 BC. Today, traces of the ancient culture are still prominent on the island: Bead-money, first-birth ceremonies, communal meeting houses called Bai , ancient terraces on rocky slopes, the remains of cave-paintings and carved stone monoliths in overgrown jungles, and the laws of the Bul . The Bul , orally passed down by Palauan ancestors, is a traditional fish conservation method still followed by fishermen today that bans fishing in certain designated areas during spawning season. The Palauans greatly respect their environment and their ancestors. Only now they struggle to balance environmental conservation with the tourism-driven economy of their developing nation.

Also, see the PNCC history page:
http://www.palaunet.com/html/history.html

BIODIVERSITY

With over 1500 species of fish and 700 corals and anemones, Palau acts as a heart of biodiversity, pumping life outwards from the blood-warm waters of the Pacific, to farther regions like Hawaii which only has 1/3 rd as many underwater species as Palau. It is impossible to get bored on dives here, when everywhere you look you see something new and different.

On almost every dive you see sharks (gray reef, black tip, white tip, and the occasional bull shark, leopard shark and hammerhead) and turtles (hawksbill, green, olive ridley, leatherback, and loggerhead), often so many sightings that you lose count. We have bumphead parrotfish and huge resident Napoleon wrasses that swim extremely close to divers. Experience close encounters with Palau's abundant population of manta rays, lionfish and the usually rare, shy and wildly colored mandarin fish. Other underwater highlights include cuttlefish, moray eels, lobsters, eagle rays, and dolphins, plus schools of barracudas, big-eye trevally (jacks), neon fusiliers, black snapper, and colorful anthias. Brightly colored clown fish in pulsating anemones, and large fish such as big-eye tuna and marlins are also common on dives. Palau is one of the last places in the world to spot a legendary and nearly extinct dugong (sea cow), a sea mammal, and seven of the nine species of endangered tridacna giant clams--larger than yourself and up to 100 years old! You can also find here saltwater crocodiles and sea snakes (non-aggressive). And of course, the biological wonder of Palau is Jellyfish Lake - take me there - filled with millions of Mastigias species of jellyfish that have no sting, pulsing in a cloud like hearts reflecting the sun's rays through their pink bodies. The dives are truly a sensual feast.

As for life above the water, there are 142 bird species. The Palau Owl, endangered Palau Ground Dove, and beautiful Palau Fantail are some of the 16 endemic bird species in Palau. 1260 plant species include 109 endemic plants, with such highlights as the rare wild orchid and ancient cicada palm. There are 2 endemic bat species including the Palauan Fruit Bat.

The biodiversity of Palau is reflected in Palauan legends, which show a close relationship between the Palauans and the many creatures that inhabit their land. In the legends, often humans transform into animals, such as when a Palauan mother clutching her child turned into a dugong to explain the start of this marine mammal, and the theme of transformation is very strong. Visitors here will see how in Palau, the close relationship with such a thriving natural world opens up the interconnectedness of life and will not leave you untransformed.

-Statistics taken from sources on Palau Resources Page as well as the World Bird Database in Palau:

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp?pg=
checklist&region=PW

ENVIRONMENT

The excitement of diving a Palau site is as amazing as the boat ride to get there. On our speedboats you will glide over glassy water, wind in your hair, through the labyrinth of our Rock Islands--jungled islands sprinkled over the cobalt sea like emeralds. The Rock Islands are composed of porous limestone, jagged and primal as they cut out of the water and towards the sky, yet overgrown in rich vegetation due to the collection of minerals in the limestone crevices. The water and bacteria have undercut the islands to form a precarious, skinny base rising out of the water, giving the islands their mushroom-shape or green muffin-top look. The limestone, once the structure of an ancient coral reef, raised out of the water, leaving a skeleton of what this ancient underwater landscape might look like, with caves, marine lakes and waterways enfolded in the islands like a complex circulatory system. No buildings are allowed on the Rock Islands by law, to keep them so purely startling to both Palauans and visitors. Further strict conservation laws are in place around this oasis, restricting fishing, travel over the reef, and travel to certain Rock Islands in order to leave undisturbed sites for birds and turtles. The most famous conservation area, no humans allowed, is the 70 Islands Wildlife Preserve--the part of Palau you see in all the aerial photographs.

A large barrier reef encloses the Rock Islands as well as most islands of Palau. Koror is the capital region, composed of four small islands connected together by bridge. To the south of Koror lies Peleliu and Anguar, two other limestone islands, with mid-height profiles like Koror. All islands are strewn with WWII artifacts such as a rusting tank covered with the tropical grasses and flowers so robust they spring from any crack in the sidewalk.

North of Koror, Babeldaob is the largest island, totaling 153 square miles while the others together total a mere 37. The oldest island as well, Babeldaob is volcanic and holds the highest peaks and waterfalls, with the tall Mt. Ngerchelchuus at 713 feet above sea level. Babeldaob holds trails for hiking and mountain biking, with hints of Palau's rich history nestled into the hillside in the form of a Yapese stone money quarry, sculpted terraces possibly used for agriculture in the BC era, and the oldest standing traditional Bai or Palauan meeting house used by the chiefs. Plans to move the current capital to Melekeok State on Babeldaob have instigated construction of a new, all-island paved road, locally known as the Compact Road, which will make travel on the island much easier.

Kayangel island, the farthest north, is a raised coral atoll, surrounding a marine lagoon with its low sloping beaches. From Kayangel to Peleliu, the Palauan islands sprawl about 125 miles. However, 300 miles southwest lie more members of the Palau nation: 6 sparsely inhabited islands called the Southwest Islands exist.

Named one of the last "Living Edens" by PBS, and number one of seven "Underwater Wonders of the World," by CEDAM International, Palau is etching its consciousness onto the world for its spectacular physical offerings, above and below the sea.

KOROR

Koror is a charming, quirky small town. Of Palau's approximately 17,500 inhabitants, including approximately 4,500 foreign workers mostly from the Philippines, half the population lives on Koror, a 3.5-mile long town stretching over four islands connected by bridge and causeway. There are paved roads, cars, shopping centers (though not more than four stories high) and more than 25 restaurants for any taste bud. One main two-lane road runs through the town. All the shops and neighborhoods are built on either side of this mini highway, similar to the layout of the Florida Keys in the US.

Koror is safe to walk about at night, though nightlife remains limited to a few bars, including our very own Barracuda, which overlooks the Rock Islands on the Fish 'n Fins dock. Other night spots include the dockside Kramer's, favored by ex-pats, Riptide, with a dance floor and occasional live music located on Palau's small public beach, and Peleliu Club, a local favorite that gets quite rowdy with Palauan cha-cha.

Although the best action is on the water, for activities around the town of Koror, you will find they are very tourist friendly. A smile goes a long way here. There are two museums to visit (Etpison Museum and Belau National Museum), the Palau International Coral Reef Center (next door to us!) that houses an aquarium, a mariculture project where you can see a nursery of giant clams, a crocodile farm, an old Japanese shrine with a majestic view, WWII relics and monuments, traditional Bai meeting houses, a shop for traditional arts and crafts at the Senior Citizens Center, a public library with a rare collection on Palau, a center to swim with dolphins, and a movie theater. You can take a dip in the water right off the rocky shore from underneath the KB Bridge, or on Long Island, a public cement dock and swimming area in the middle of town. To get around Koror you can rent a car, take taxis (2-4 dollars anywhere), bike or walk. Koror acts as a gateway to the other islands of Palau which you can visit by boat, plane or 4x4 vehicle.

The lifestyle on Palau is very easy and laid-back for all. No one goes hungry here, as they can rely on family members or friends if they're unemployed. Palauans are very family-centered, it seems almost everybody is related here, and clan ties still run strong. Though appearing Americanized, Palauans preserve much of their traditional culture--ceremonies, exchanges and councils--on land and in the sea.