Palau

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Country Name

Palau, or officially The Republic of Palau.

Location

It is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of some 340 coral and volcanic islands perched on the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. The islands share maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Capital

Ngerulmud.

Reason For Naming

The name for the islands in the Palauan language, Belau, likely derives from either the Palauan word for "village", beluu, or aibebelau ("indirect replies"), relating to a creation myth. The name "Palau" entered the English language from the Spanish Los Palaos. An archaic name for the islands in English was the "Pelew Islands". Palau is unrelated to Pulau, which is a Malay word meaning "island" found in many place names in the region.

Flag

The flag of Palau was adopted on 1 January 1981 after gaining Independence from the United States. The flag of Palau consists of a blue base with a yellow circle situated towards the left side of the flag.

The blue color represents the political maturity of Palau, and its journey from foreign control (US) to independence.

The yellow circle represents the moon, a sign of national unity, and, according to Palauan belief, represents the best time for traditional activities, such as fishing, harvesting, planting, and festivals.

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