1.
Palau
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Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. The country contains approximately 250 islands, forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, the most populous island is Koror. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the island of Babeldaob. Palau shares maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Micronesia, the country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines and sustained a Negrito population until around 900 years ago. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, 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. 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, 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, Palaus economy is based mainly on tourism, subsistence agriculture and fishing, with a significant portion of gross national product derived from foreign aid. The country uses the United States dollar as its currency, the islands culture mixes Micronesian, Melanesian, Asian, and Western elements. Ethnic Palauans, the majority of the population, are of mixed Micronesian, Melanesian, a smaller proportion of the population is descended from Japanese and Filipino settlers. The countrys two official languages are Palauan and English, 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, or from aibebelau, the name Palau entered the English language from the Spanish Los Palaos, via the German Palau. An archaic name for the islands in English was the Pelew Islands and it should not be confused with Pulau, which is a Malay word meaning island. Palau was originally settled between the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, most likely from the Austronesia or Indonesia, 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, however, the Spanish presence only began to express with evangelization, began at the end of 17th century, and its dominance began to take shape in the 18th century. The conscious discovery of Palau came a century later in 1697 and they were interviewed by the Czech missionary Paul Klein on 28 December 1696. Klein was able to draw the first map of Palau based on the Palauans representation of their home islands that made with an arrangement of 87 pebbles on the beach
2.
Wa (watercraft)
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Wa are a traditional proa-style sailing outrigger canoe of the Caroline Islands. Wa are proa — vessels with identical bow and aft, allowing the craft to reverse without turning and they are made from hewn-out hulls, typically breadfruit trunks, with single wide top-strakes, and carved head and stern pieces. Sails are lateen rigged and were made of pandanus mat sailcloth. Benjamin Morrell recorded in the 1830s that sails were made in pieces of about three feet square, sewed together. In cutting the sail to its shape, the pieces which come off one side answer to go on the other, this gives it the proper form. After World War II sails switched to canvas, and after 1973 the use of dacron began to increase, the windward float stabilizes the craft. This occurs by its weight rather than its buoyancy, when the float becomes submerged in a wave its increased drag swings the canoe slightly around into the wind, thereby relieving some of the wind pressure on the sail. The canoe slows down temporarily and allows the float to rise again and this design feature also acts to reduce drift by tending to place the wind toward the beam or side of the craft. On Poluwat, the skill of building is called héllap. Wa may be sailed over long distances, paddled, or moved by punting, one analysis of wa under sail indicated conclusively that these primitive craft are superior to a modern boat on significant points of sailing. They were estimated by Anson in 1776 to be able to move at or perhaps beyond wind speed, several early western observers stated they were capable of 22 knots for sustained periods. Edwin Doran, author of Wangka, Austronesian Canoe Origins, cited a 14-knot average for a wa traveling from Guam to Manila. In the past, voyages of 150 mi across open ocean were commonplace, trade items included shells, tapa cloth, wooden vessels, cordage, iron, copper, nails and knives. Rai stones were brought from Palau to Yap, physical evidence of contact with the Chamorro people of Guam in the far southern Mariana Islands includes pestles, fish hooks, and shell rings from the Caroline Islands. The earliest documentary evidence is Friar Juan Cantovas 1721 letter to Friar William DAubenton in which he describes the June 19,1721 landing of canoes from Woleai on Guam. During the same Spanish colonial period, many Chamorro people died due to introduced disease or were relocated from Saipan to Guam. By 1788 fleets from the Caroline Islands were sailing to Guam near annually to trade in iron, in 1821, Adelbert von Chamisso recorded a voyage of 2,300 mi from Yap to Aur Atoll in the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Longer voyages of at least 1,000 mi between the Carolines, Philippines and Marianas were frequent, a canoe from Satawal made a 500 mi voyage to Saipan in 1970
3.
Hatohobei
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Tobi Island, or Hatohobei, is the southernmost of Palaus sixteen states, consisting of Tobi Island and Helen Reef. The total land area is about 0.88 km², the population was 80 in 1962,51 in 1995, and 23 in 2000, with a population of 3 in 2016, showing a steady decline over time. Tobian, English and Sonsorolese are the languages of Hatohobei State. The individual islands of Hatohobei, together with the islands of the state of Sonsorol, Tobi Island was the main island of the state. The land area is 0.85 km² and its highest point is 6 m, while most of the island is less than 3 m high. Most of the houses were situated in the village of Tobi on the side of the island. The island is covered with coconut palms, a cultivated area is situated near the center of the island. The island is fringed by a reef that extends up to 800 m from the shore in the north, Helen or Helens Reef, about 70 km east of Tobi Island, is a largely submerged atoll, with just one islet. The atoll is 25 km long and nearly 10 km wide, with an area of 103 km². A channel leads into the lagoon from near the middle of the side of the reef. Immediately south of the channel is Round Rock, which dries, the lagoon has about 85 patch and pinnacle Reefs. When the tide is falling, the water out of the lagoon and over the reef in all directions until the reef is uncovered. On the rising tide, an effect is noted. Only few parts of the completely dry. Helen Island, the island of the reef, is located near its northern tip. It is tiny in comparison to Helen Reef, about 20 to 40 m wide and 400 m long, or about 0.03 km² of land area. The densely wooded island atop a sand dune, which is 0.25 km² in extent. The station is occupied by a staff of three
4.
Sonsorol
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Sonsorol is one of the sixteen states of Palau. The administrative center, and only village, is Dongosaru on Sonsorol island, the inhabitants speak Sonsorolese, a local Trukic language, and Palauan. The islands of the state of Sonsorol, together with the islands of Hatohobei, the state is subdivided into four municipalities, which correspond to the four individual islands, that were previously inhabited. The islands are, from north to south, Fanna, also called Fana, is encircled by a coral reef extending 160 to 480 m offshore, the island is thickly wooded with coconut palms and other trees. The island is referenced as a municipality, mariano Carlos was serving as chief from 2000 until the Typhoon Bopha evacuation. Fanna Island and nearby Sonsorol Island 1.6 km further south together form the Sonsorol Islands, Sonsorol Island, also called Dongosaro or Dongosaru, is encircled by a coral reef extending 160 to 480 m offshore. It is 2 km long north south, and up to 890 m wide in the north and it is located 1.6 km south of Fanna Island. The village of Dongosaro, which is the capital of the state, is located on the west coast, the island is thickly wooded with coconut palms and other trees. Together with Fanna, it forms the Sonsorol Islands, Sonsorol was probably the first of Palau islands visited by a European - the Jesuit expedition of Francisco Padilla on 30 November 1710. A year after Typhoon Bopha, Palau government issued a plan to this island. Pulo Anna or Puro is fringed by a coral reef extending beyond 460 m offshore, the island itself is about elliptical and measures 800 meters northeast-southwest, and is up to 550 meters wide. A village named Puro was once on the northwest side of the island, Pulo Anna lies in the flow of the Equatorial Countercurrent throughout the year. Merir Island, or Melieli, is fringed by reef which extends beyond 1100 m offshore in the south and 160 m in the north. The edges of the reef are steep-to, except at the end where a spit, with a depth of 12.8 meters at its outer end. The island itself is 2.200 meters north south, a village named Melieli, which had a radio station, was located on the northwest side of the island. The first sighting by Europeans of the Sonsorols, was that of Sonsorol and these two were collectively charted as San Juan islands as they were sighted on the day of its festivity. A Spanish missionary expedition commanded by Sargento Mayor Francisco Padilla arrived to Sonsorol on 30 November 1710, there were 37 people from Sonsorol,19 from Pulo Anna and 2 from Merir. A couple of later, and due to government decision
