• Palau is a Western Pacific island archipelago with a tropical climate.
• English is the official language.
• Governmentally, it is a presidential republic of 16 states and has a constitution pattered after the U.S. Constitution.
• The islands originally were settled some 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines.
• Although an independent member of the United Nations, Palau has no independent military and depends on a 1986 compact with the U.S. for its security, defense, funding and access to social services.
• A fierce World War II battle was fought by the U.S. Marines against the Japanese on the island of Peleliu in the southern tip of the archipelago.
— Ed Meyer