Palau - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Palau. Westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes world-famous Rock Islands. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is

Geographical data of Palau
Location Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Geographic coordinates 7 30 N, 134 30 E
Map references Oceania
Tarrain varying topography from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Natural Resources forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Natural Hazards typhoons (June to December)
Irrigated Land 0 sq km (2022)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 1,519 km
Climate tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
Area
Total Area
Land Area 459 sq km
Water Area 0 sq km
comparative Area slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 10.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 2.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 4.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 4.3% (2018 est.)
Forest 87.6% (2018 est.)
Other 1.6% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Most of the population is located on the southern end of the main island of Babelthuap

People and Society

In Palau, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 70.6%, Carolinian 1.2%, Asian 26.5%, other 1.7% (2020 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.38% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 11.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 18.4% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 1.7 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.83 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 45.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 6.8% of GDP (2019)
Net Migration rate 0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Palauan | Palauan(s)
Languages Palauan (official on most islands) 65.2%, other Micronesian 1.9%, English (official) 19.1%, Filipino 9.9%, Chinese 1.2%, other 2.8% (2015 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 46.9%, Protestant 30.9% (Evangelical 24.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, other Protestant 1.4%), Modekngei 5.1% (indigenous to Palau), Muslim 4.9%, other 12.3% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 17.5% (male 1,976/female 1,849)
15-64 years 71.3% (male 8,647/female 6,935)
65 years and over 11.2% (2024 est.) (male 612/female 1,845)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 43.8
Youth dependency ratio 30.2
Elderly dependency ratio 13.7
Potential support ratio 7.3 (2021)
Median Age
Total 35.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 34.1 years
Female 37.4 years
Urbanization
Urban population 82.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 277 NGERULMUD (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.25 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.33 male(s)/female
Total population 1.06 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 8.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 75.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 72 years
Female 78.5 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99.8% of population
Improved: total total: 99.7% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.2% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 99% of population
Improved: total total: 99.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 17.6% (2020 est.)
Male 27.3% (2020 est.)
Female 7.9% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Palau

Want to know more about Palau? Check all different factbooks for Palau below.

Palau is found in Micronesia