Every Day Is Special: Palau

Showing posts with label Palau. Show all posts

October 1 - Independence Day in Palau

Posted October 1, 2019

Spain. Britain. Germany. Japan. The United States.

Palau is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean. So why did so many other far-away nations have so much interest in visiting and/or ruling it?

Even in the expanded view on the map above doesn't
indicate to me that there are hundreds of islands
that make up the Palau Republic!

The map below gives you a feel for just how
vast the Pacific Ocean is!

Spain started off with missionaries who converted as many Palauans as possible to the Christian (Catholic) religion. Later trade became more important. Since Palau is perched in ocean waters near the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, it offered a strategic location for Germany in its pre-World-War empire building stage. Japan seized the islands from Germany at the beginning of WWI but lost them to the Allies near the end of WWII. The U.S. administered Palau and other South-Pacific territories after the Second World War ended - but with the promise to improve Palau's infrastructure (roads, power supplies, bridges, etc.) and education system so that it could achieve independence.

Achieving independence was a multiple-step process. In 1981, the people of Palau wrote and adopted a constitution, and in 1982 Palauan representatives signed a Compact of Free Association with the U.S. the Compact went into effect on this date in 1994.

Palau has what I think of as a triple system of government:

(1) The official government is similar to that of the U.S., with a president the head of the executive branch, lawmaking and judicial branches, checks and balances.

(2) There is also traditional law, with 10 chiefs from Koror, the largest city, and 7 more chiefs from rural areas all gathering in the House of Traditional Leaders. They review all the legislation passed by the official legislature and can defeat a new law if it is found to conflict with traditional laws, and the chiefs can also introduce bills of their own into the legislature!

Bilung Gloria Salii, the female leader of
Koror's clans and the highest ranking
woman in Palau (as of 2016, at least).

(3) The position of chief is hereditary and, I gather, male. BUT the matriarchs can replace a chief if they are not satisfied with his performance. Also, the Matriarchs of the Chiefs form the Kerngab, which deals with traditional laws that relate to women and children.

Because Palau is in Free Association with the U.S., Palauans don't have to have a visa to visit the U.S. and don't have to get a work permit to work in the United States. Also, the U.S. has committed to provide Palau's defense and also funds certain infrastructure projects, a portion of the government's operation costs, and a portion of the social services.

Check out Palau:

Jellyfish Lake

Also on this date:

World Vegetarian Day and Vegan Baking Day

Outmoded Inventions Day

Model T Day

Independence Day in Tuvalu

Independence Day in Cyprus

National Day of China

Nairobi International Trade Fair

Fire Pup Day

Anniversary of the first postcard

Raccoon Appreciation Day

International Music Day

National Lace Day

Birthday of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

July 9 – Constitution Day in Palau

Posted on July 9, 2014

Wikipedia says that Palau developed the first “nuclear-free” constitution in 1981. – but that the country dropped “nuclear-free” in 1994 in order to become an “associated state” to the U.S.

And that got me wondering...

What is an “associated state”?

A territory is an associated state if it has a relationship with another—usually much larger—nation but still has a degree of self-rule. Some minor partners that have relationships with larger nations are called “protectorates” or some other label, but when no other label fits, they are called associated states.

How many associated states are there in the world?

There are only five who are in formal associations: two (Cook Islands and Niue) that are associated with New Zealand, and three (Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) that are associated with the U.S.

Jellyfish Lake

However, there are some dependent territories and countries associated with larger countries, usually for the sake of defense. For example, Andorra depends on Spain and France to defend it, and Monaco depends on France.

Spearfishing in the clear water

What does the U.S. do for Palau?

It provides defense, as you probably guessed. Also, the U.S. also funds grants and gives access to social services. Palau uses the U.S. dollar as its currency, but actually quite a few countries that have no formal association with the U.S. do that (like Ecuador).

What about that anti-nuclear constitution?

As I mentioned earlier, in 1981 Palau voted for the world's first nuclear-free constitution which explicitly banned the use, storage, and disposal of nuclear, toxic chemical, gas and biological weapons without being approved by a three-fourths majority in a referendum (vote).

But the United States had some power over Palau, because it was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands set up after World War II. And the U.S. insisted that, if they were to grant Palau full independence, it be allowed to operate its nuclear subs within Palau waters. With the promise of independence dangling as a reward, Palauans finally voted (on the eighth referendum!) to amend that part of the constitution.

Where in the world is Palau?

This island group is part of Micronesia, found near the Philippines, Indonesia, and the other islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The islands were settled some 3,000 years ago. In the late 1800s they were colonized by Spain, and they were later were sold to Imperial Germany. The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered the islands during World War I.

(No wonder Palauans want help with their defense from a larger country!)

What more should we know about Palau?

Well, I don't know that you SHOULD know anything at all about Palau, but I found it very interesting that there are from 200 to 250 islands in the nation.

Most of the islands are volcanoes or coral atolls.

Only eight of the islands are inhabited!

Some of the islands formed by coral reefs have bases that have been eroded away. These islands are often compared to fuzzy green mushrooms.

Divers love to go to Palau! Not only is there great visibility in the clear blue waters, but there are cool underwater walls and caves formed by eroded coral, and there are also sunken planes and ships from World War II.

Some of the caves on Palauan islands are adorned with elaborate artwork. From this and other evidence, we know that the caves have been used by humans for at least four thousand years.