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@Palau
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Geography

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

Area:
total: 458 sq km
land: 458 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,519 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
extended fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid

Terrain: varying geologically from the high, mountainous main
island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large
barrier reefs

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Ngerchelchauus 242 m

Natural resources: forests, minerals (especially gold), marine
products, deep-seabed minerals

Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: typhoons (June to December)

Environment--current issues: inadequate facilities for disposal of
solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral
dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: includes World War II battleground of Beliliou
(Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands; archipelago of six island
groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain

People

Population: 18,467 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 2,595; female 2,446)
15-64 years: 68% (male 6,867; female 5,675)
65 years and over: 5% (male 416; female 468) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.94% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 21.55 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.21 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.15 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life exp