Where Is Palau?

Located in the Pacific Ocean, and occupying an area of 466 square km, Palau is an island country with about 346 islands. As of 2016, the country houses a population of 21,503. The country shares its maritime boundaries with the Southeast Asian nations of Philippines and Indonesia and the Oceanian nation of Micronesia.

　　

What Is The Capital Of Palau And Where Is It Located?

The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. The city became the capital of Palau in 2006 when it replaced the Koror City, the former capital of the nation. The city is located 20 km to the northeast of the former capital. Unlike most national capital cities of the world, Ngerulmud is not the largest city of the country. In fact, Ngerulmud has only a population of 391 making it the least populous national capital city in the world. The title goes to the former capital of Koror City. Ngerulmud is located on Palau’s biggest island of Babeldaob in the Melekeok state.

　　

History Of The Capital City Of Palau

Koror was the provisional capital of Palau before the new capital city of Ngerulmud was established. In 1979, a ratification of Palau’s Constitution directed the government of the country to set up a permanent capital on the island of Babeldaob. In 1986, plans were made to set up the new city. The responsibility was assigned to an architectural firm based in Hawaii. Due to a paucity of funds and the shortage of efficient professionals, the progress of building the new capital was quite slow. Work began as late as the early 2000s after Palau was granted a loan of $20 million from Taiwan. The inauguration of the central government complex in the new city was done on October 7, 2006. Thus, the new capital city of Ngerulmud was set up and government offices soon moved from Koror to this city.

　　

Present-Day Role Of The Capital Of Palau

As the capital city of Palau, Ngerulmud hosts the Olbiil era Kelulau, the meeting place of the country’s legislative body. The same complex also hosts the other government buildings like the courts and offices of the executive branch of the government. A central open plaza connects there buildings. Ngerulmud is currently facing several financial and infrastructural challenges. The post office here had to be closed down due to high levels of expenses incurred. The city is the only place in the country to use its own ZIP code which is 96939. The rest of the country uses a uniform ZIP code of 96940. A few summits like the 45th Pacific Islands Forum have been hosted in the city.