Palau Geography - 2005

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:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

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 Ngerchelchuus 242 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 8.7%
permanent crops: 4.35%
other: 86.95% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

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, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements