About Palau

Palau is located about 7 degrees north of the equator in the Western Caroline Islands chain, slightly south of the US Territory of Guam and east of the Philippines. A sovereign nation in "free-association" with the US since 1994, Palau is protected by the US but administers its own domestic and foreign affairs.

The Distant Past

Palau’s early history is still relatively unknown. It is believed that Palauans are distant relatives of the Malays of Indonesia, Melanesians of New Guinea and Polynesians. Radiocarbon dating of artifacts from the oldest known sites in Palau, place civilization as far back as 1000BC.

The Not So Distant Past

Palau had limited contact with outsiders prior to the 18th century. Not until Englishman Henry Wilson and his crew on the ANTELOPE were shipwrecked off the island of Ulong in 1783, did Palau come in contact with Europeans. Prince Lee Boo, in fact, accompanied Wilson on his return to England, but unfortunately died soon after from smallpox. A monument was erected over his grave in St. Mary’s Churchyard.

In the late 19th century, possession of the islands was claimed by Britain, Spain and Germany. In 1885, Pope Leo XIII recognized the Spanish claim, but granted economic concessions to Britain and Germany. Palau thus became part of the Spanish East Indies.

The introduction of Catholicism was Spain’s principal influence on Palau as they had very little economic and colonization activity. Despite the fact that Catholicism was introduced and rather easily accepted, Palauans were still ardent followers of their own faith.

Following their defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and losing possession of the Philippine Islands, Spain sold the Palau archipelago to Germany. Germany’s occupation lasted 15 years. Germany began exploiting the islands’ deposits of bauxite, phosphate and copra thus beginning a period of economic development. During this period, Administrators outlawed many traditional practices including tattooing. The last tattooed native died in the early 1960s.

In 1914, the Empire of Japan declared war on the German Empire, invading German overseas territories in the Pacific including Palau. After the war, the League of Nations awarded Palau to Japan.

The Japanese had perhaps the most profound impact on Palauan society. The Japanese Imperial Navy controlled the archipelago from 1914 to 1922 when civilian control was introduced and an aggressive economic development program was implemented. Bauxite and phosphate mining continued. Skipjack tuna canning and copra processing plants were established. In fact, Japanese economic activity was so extreme, that Koror was once termed “little Tokyo” by Japanese officials.

The Japanese presence made Palau a major target for Allied Forces during World War II. The United Nations awarded the United States administration of Palau as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In 1994, Palau voted to freely associate with the United States while retaining independence under the Compact of Free Association.