Republic of Palau

http://www.all-laptopfan.com/,http://www.all-keyboard.com/ Palau (ⁱ/pəˈlaʊ/, sometimes spelled Belau or Pelew), officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau),^[4] is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is geographically part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country's population of around 21,000 is spread across 250 islands forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands. HP Pavilion dv7-1157cl CPU Fan The most populous island is Koror. The islands share maritime boundarieswith Indonesia, Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia. The capital Ngerulmud is located in Melekeok State on the nearby island of Babeldaob. The country was originally settled around 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines and sustained a Negritopopulation until around 900 years ago. HP Pavilion dv6-3163eo CPU Fan The islands were first visited by Europeans in the 18th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1885. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, where they were administered as part of German New Guinea. HP Pavilion dv9740us CPU Fan The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered Palau during World War I, and the islands were later made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Pacific Mandate by the League of Nations. During World War II, skirmishes, including the major Battle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. HP COMPAQ NX9420 CPU Fan Along with other Pacific Islands, Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947. Having voted against joining the Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, the islands gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States. HP Pavilion dv7-4150ec CPU Fan Politically, Palau is a presidential republic in free association with the United States, which provides defense, funding, and access to social services. Legislative power is concentrated in the bicameral Palau National Congress.Palau's economy is based mainly on tourism, subsistence agriculture and fishing, HP Pavilion dv5-1102tu CPU Fan with a significant portion ofGross National Product (GNP) derived from foreign aid. The country uses the United States dollar as its currency. The islands' culture mixes Japanese, Micronesian and Melanesian elements. The majority of citizens are of mixed Micronesian, Melanesian, and Austronesian descent, with significant groups descended from Japanese and Filipinosettlers. SONY VGN-SZ220 CPU Fan The country's two official languages are Palauan (member of the wider Sunda–Sulawesi language group) andEnglish, with Japanese, Sonsorolese, and Tobian recognised as regional languages. The name for the islands in the Palauan language, Belau, likely derives from either the Palauan word for "village",beluu,^[5] or from aibebelau ("indirect replies"), relating to a creation myth.^[6] HP Pavilion dv7-6011tx CPU Fan The name "Palau" entered theEnglish language from the Spanish Los Palaos, via the German Palau. An archaic name for the islands in English was the "Pelew Islands". Palau was originally settled between the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, most likely from the Philippines orIndonesia.^[8] HP Pavilion dv5-1040eb CPU Fan The islands sustained a population of short-statured Negrito or Pygmy people until the 12th century, when they were replaced.The modern population, judging by its language, may have come from the Sunda Islands. Sonsorol, part of the Southwest Islands, an island chain approximately 600 kilometres (370 mi) from the main island chain of Palau, ASUS F3Jv CPU Fan was sighted by Europeans as early as 1522, when the Trinidad, the flagship of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage of circumnavigation, sighted two small islands around the 5th parallel north, naming them "San Juan".^[9] British traders became prominent visitors in the 18th century, followed by expanding Spanish influence in the 19th century. IBM ThinkPad R50p 2887 CPU Fan Following its defeat in the Spanish-American War, Spain sold Palau and most of the rest of the Caroline Islands to Germany in 1899. Control passed to Japan in 1914 and during World War II the islands were taken by the United States in 1944, with the costly Battle of Peleliu between 15 September and 25 November when more than 2,000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese were killed. SONY VGN-CS36GJ/R CPU Fan The islands passed formally to the United States under United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Four of the Trust Territory districts formed a single federated Micronesian state in 1979, but the districts of Palau and the Marshall Islands declined to participate. Toshiba Satellite A215-S4807 CPU Fan Palau, the westernmost cluster of the Carolines, instead opted for independent status in 1978. It approved a new constitution and became the Republic of Palau in 1981.^[10] It signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1982. After eight referenda and an amendment to the Palauan constitution, the Compact was ratified in 1993. Toshiba Satellite Pro M10-SP405 CPU Fan The Compact went into effect on 1 October 1994,^[11] marking Palau de jure independent, although it had been de facto independent since 25 May 1994, when the trusteeship ended. Legislation making Palau an "offshore" financial center was passed by the Senate in 1998. In 2001, Palau passed its first bank regulation and anti-money laundering laws. HP Pavilion dv4-1120us CPU Fan Palau is a multi-party democratic republic. The President of Palau is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government, while legislative power is vested in both the government and the Palau National Congress. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The capital is Ngerulmud. Palau adopted its own constitution in 1981. Compaq Presario C550EM CPU Fan The governments of the United States and Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association in 1986, similar to compacts that the United States had entered into with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.^[12] The compact entered into force on 1 October 1994, Toshiba Qosmio E15-AV101 CPU Fan concluding Palau's transition from trusteeship to independence^[12] as the last portion of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to secure its independence. The Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau^[13] sets forth the free and voluntary association of their governments. Toshiba Satellite L645D-S4056 CPU Fan It primarily focuses on the issues of government, economic, security and defense relations.^[14] Palau has no independent military, relying on the United States for its defense. Under the compact, the American military was granted access to the islands for 50 years. The US Navy role is minimal, limited to a handful of Navy Seabees(construction engineers.) Toshiba Satellite A305-S6837 CPU Fan The United States Coast Guard patrols in national waters.