Palau,officially the Republic of Palau,is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific. The republic consists of approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi),making it one of the smallest countries in the world. The most populous island is Koror,home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the largest island of Babeldaob,in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north,the Federated States of Micronesia to the east,Indonesia to the south,and the Philippines to the northwest.
Thomas Esang "Tommy" Remengesau Jr. is a Palauan politician;in 2013 he was elected the ninth president of Palau and was re-elected to that office in 2016. Previously he served as the seventh president of the island nation from 2001 to 2009. He served as a Senator in the Palau National Congress between his two administrations. In sum,Remengesau was elected Vice-President of Palau in 1992 and 1996,then president in 2000,2004,2012 and 2016.
General elections were held in Palau on 4 November 2008 to elect the President and members of the National Congress. The presidential election was won by Johnson Toribiong. Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau was ineligible to run because he had served the maximum two consecutive terms allowed and announced that he would run for a seat in the Senate.
Roman Tmetuchl was a Palauan political leader and businessman. He grew up in Japanese-controlled Palau and joined the Kempeitai,the Japanese secret police,during World War II. After the war,he became the leader of Palau's Liberal Party. He worked in the Congress of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1964 to 1978 and advocated for Palau gaining a separate status from the rest of Micronesia. He became governor of Airai and engaged in three unsuccessful Palauan presidential campaigns. As a businessman,Tmetuchl led several construction projects for his business holdings and for the Palauan community,including the Palau International Airport and a Seventh-Day Adventist clinic.
The Belau National Museum (BNM),previously Palau Museum,is a museum in Koror,Palau. It is the oldest continuously run museum in Micronesia.
Peter Lawrence Naoya Sugiyama was a Palauan politician.
The sport of baseball is widely played in Palau,having been introduced by the Japanese during their occupation of the island nation. The highest level of league play in Palau in represented by Palau Major League (PML),which is overseen by the Belau Baseball Federation. The country is represented in international play by the Palau national baseball team.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Palau do not possess the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Palau since 23 July 2014,when the current Penal Code took effect,but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples. Same-sex marriage is constitutionally banned,and there are no anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation and gender identity.
Women in Palau,known also as Palauan women,Belauan women,Pelew women,or Women of Los Palaos Islands are women who live in or are from Palau. Historically,there was a strong "gendered division of labor" between women and men of Palau.
General elections were held in Palau on 1 November 2016 to elect a President and the National Congress. Incumbent President Tommy Remengesau was challenged by his brother-in-law,Surangel Whipps Jr. for the presidency,emerging as the top two in the primary elections on 27 September. Remengesau was subsequently re-elected with 51% of the vote.
Surangel S. Whipps Jr. is a Palauan businessman and politician,who has served as the president of Palau since 2021. He served as senator from 2008 to 2016. He is from Ngatpang state,Republic of Palau. Whipps assumed office as the President of Palau on 21 January 2021.
Diplomatic relations between India and Palau were established in 1995. The Embassy of India in Manila,Philippines,is concurrently accredited to Palau.
Katharine Kesolei was an anthropologist and Senator from Palau.
The following lists events that happened during 2020 in the Republic of Palau.
Temmy L. Shmull is a Palauan politician who served as Governor of Peleliu for 3 terms from January 2013 to January 2022. He previously served as Minister of State of Palau from 2001 to 2009 and was also the vice president of the Palau National Olympic Committee.
Olympia E. Morei-Remengesau is a curator from Palau,who was appointed Director of Belau National Museum in 2009. Born in Koror State,she began work at the museum as an administrator,before moving to the role of Assistant to the Director. She is co-vice chair of the Kraemer Ethnography Translation Project,which translated the works of Augustin Krämer from German to Palauan,and was funded by the German government. She is also the National Representative for the Federation of International Dance Festivals (FIDAF). In 2019 she secured a $10,000 donation from Taiwan to fund a new exhibition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Palau's independence. During the COVID-19 pandemic,she led the museum,enabling it to continue its community work despite being forced to lay off several members of staff.
Valerie Esang Whipps is a Palauan stateswoman who has been First Lady of Palau since 21 January 2021.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in the Republic of Palau.
Elbuchel Sadang is a Palauan politician and former Minister of Finance of Palau.
John Obeldabl Ngiraked was a Palauan politician.
