List of current chiefs
Palau has several traditional chiefs of its 16 states. A factor that resulted in the decline of chiefly authority in Palau was the introduction of elected governors, called upon in the Constitution of Palau which came into effect on 1 January 1981. [1]
Ibedul is a title given to the high chief of Koror, in Palau, who is also the head of the Idid clan. [17] [18] Koror is the most populated state with approximately 64% of Palauans living there as of 2020 and so historically bearers of the title were erroneously referred to as "Kings of Pelew" despite them not having authority over all of modern-day Palau. [19] [20]
| Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abba Thulle [21] fl. 1783 |  | |||
| Ilengelekei [22] 1871 – 1911 (39–40) |  | 1911 | ||
| Louch [22] 1911 – 1917 (5–6) |  | 1917 | ||
| Tem [22] 1917 – 1943 (25–26) | 1943 | |||
| Mariur [22] 1943 – 1958 (14–15) | 1958 | |||
| Ngoriakl [22] 1958 – 1972 (13–14) | 1972 | |||
| Yutaka Gibbons [22] 1973 – 4 November 2021 (47–48) |  | 17 January 1944 | 4 November 2021 Aged 77 | |
| Alexander Merep [4] February 22, 2022 – present (2 years, 338 days) | Living |
Aimeliik is an administrative division of the island country of Palau. It is one of the Republic of Palau's 16 states. It has an area of 52 km2 and a population of 334. The state capital is the village of Mongami. The four other villages are Medorm, Imul, Elechui and Ngmechiangel.
Ngchesar, also known as Oldiais, is one of the sixteen states of the nation of Palau in Oceania.
Ngaraard is one of the 16 states of the Republic of Palau, and was originally named Kerradel.
Ngiwal is one of the sixteen states of Palau. It has a population of 282 and an area of 26 km2.
Melekeok is a state of the Republic of Palau located on the central east coast of Babeldaob Island. The seat of government of the country, Ngerulmud, is located in the state. The state consists of long beaches, hills, steep ridges, rivers, and the largest and only natural freshwater lake in Palau and Micronesia, Lake Ngardok.
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 following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the Republic of Palau.
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.
J. Uduch Sengebau Senior is a Palauan lawyer, judge, and politician who has served as the Vice President of Palau from 2021 to 2025. She was previously a member of the Senate of Palau from 2013 until she took office as Vice President.
Yositaka "Yosi" Adachi is a Palauan politician. He was the Governor of Koror for 3 consecutive terms from 2006 until 2018 when he stepped down due to the term limits imposed by the constitution of Koror.
Francisco Bares Gibbons is a Palauan politician. In January 2018, he became the youngest Governor of Koror. He previously held the position of Vice Speaker of Koror.
John "Johnny" C. Gibbons was a Palauan politician. He was the Executive Administrator of Koror from 1985 to 1997 before serving as the first Governor of Koror from 1998 to 2006. He was the Minister of Justice from 2009 to 2013.
Yutaka Miller Gibbons was the ibedul of Koror from 1973 until his death in 2021. He was also an anti–nuclear weapons activist and political candidate.
Sabino Anastacio is a Palauan politician who has been speaker of the House of Delegates of Palau since January 2013.
The following lists events that happened during 2021 in the Republic of Palau.
The following lists events that happened during 2022 in the Republic of Palau.
Eyos Rudimch is a Palauan politician. He was sworn in as Governor of Koror on January 11, 2022 after winning the November 2021 election. He previously held the position of Speaker of Koror. He has a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Guam.
Alexander Merep is the High Chief (ibedul) of Koror in the Republic of Palau.
Gloria Salii is the bilung of Koror which is the female counterpart of ibedul and highest ranking female chief title in Palau.
There was a succession dispute following the death of Yutaka Gibbons, the ibedul of the state of Koror, Palau, on November 4, 2021. Gibbons' younger siblings, rechucher-ra-techekii Alexander Merep and bilung Gloria Salii, both initially claimed the title, but Salii would later relent her claim in favour of her son, James Lebuu Littler. Merep was accepted as ibedul by the traditional chiefs of Koror and the Council of Chiefs, although Salii maintains that her son is the ibedul.
