rs elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA
November 2004); House of Delegates - last held 7 November 2000 (next
to be held NA November 2004)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; House of Delegates - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas

Political parties and leaders: Palau Nationalist Party [Johnson
TORIBIONG]; Ta Belau Party [Kuniwo NAKAMURA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Hersey KYOTA

chancery: 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814

FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the
Ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau; Charge
d'Affaires Allen E. NUGENT

embassy: address NA, Koror

mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940

telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990

FAX: [680] 488-2911

Flag description: light blue with a large yellow disk (representing
the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side

Palau Economy

Economy - overview: The economy consists primarily of subsistence
agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the
work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The
population enjoys a per capita income of twice that of the
Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the
tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air
travel in the Pacific and the rising prosperity of leading East
Asian countries.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $129 million (1998 est.)

note: GDP numbers reflect US spending

GDP - real growth rate: -1.4% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,100 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 8,300 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%

Unemploy