Palau
 

1875 - 12 Oct 1899                 12 Oct 1899 - 8 Oct 1914                    8 Oct 1914 - Sep 1944                       Sep 1944 - 1 Oct 1994     18 Jul 1947 - 19 Aug 1965 Pacific Is.Trust Terr.        19 Aug 1965 - 1 Jan 1981 Pacific Is.Trust Terr.                     Adopted 1 Jan 1981   Map of Palau Hear National Anthem "Belau rekid" (Our Palau)  Text of National Anthem Adopted 1980 Constitution (1 Jan 1981) Capital: Melekeok (Koror 1921-7 Oct 2006) Currency: US Dollar (USD) National Holiday: 9 Jul (1979) Constitution Day Population: 21,093 (2008) GDP: $164 million (2008) Exports: $5.88 million (2004) Imports: $107.3 million (2004) Ethnic groups: Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000)  Total Police Force: N/A Defense is the Responsibility of the U.S. Merchant marine: None (2008) Religions: Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (marginal Christian sect  indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter- Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000)  International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, APM, CTBT, ESCR (signatory), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, IOC, IMSO, IPU, IRENA (signatory), ISA, KP, MIGA, NPT, OPCW, PC, PIF, UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, WHO Palau Index Chronology 1543                       Discovered by the Spanish explorer Rui López                              de Villalobos. 11 Dec 1710                Rediscovered by and claimed for Spain by                               Francisco de Padilla (Islas Palaos). 10 Aug 1783 - 12 Nov 1783  British Capt. Henry Wilson and crew of Antelope                              are shipwrecked on Palau. 1874                       Spain reasserts its claim to the islands, no                              settlement. Aug 1885                   Claimed by Germany. 1886                       Spanish possession confirmed by Papal arbitration                              of Pope Leo XIII. 12 Oct 1899                Part of German New Guinea (see Papua New Guinea).  8 Oct 1914                Japanese occupation (see under Marshall Islands)                              from 28 Dec 1914 [see under Palau]).  1 Apr 1922                Part of South Seas Agency (see under Palau). 17 Dec 1920                League of Nations mandate (South Seas Islands)                              under Japan. Jul 1921                   Japanese transfer civil administration from                              Chuuk to Koror, Palau.  1 Apr 1922                South Seas Agency (Nan'yo Cho) created                             (includes Marshall, Palau, Caroline [Micronesia]                              and Northern Mariana islands). 27 Mar 1933                Japan withdraws from the League of Nations. 1935                       Japan declares that the mandated islands are an                              "integral part of the Japanese Empire." 15 Sep/10 Oct 1944         U.S. occupation (see Micronesia). 18 Jul 1947                Japanese mandate formally revoked; part of the                              UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands                              (see Micronesia)(Palau District).  1 Jan 1981                Republic of Palau  1 Oct 1994                Independence from U.S. States (since 1981) Traditional Chiefs

Governors 
12 Oct 1899 -  8 Oct 1914  the governors of German New Guinea
District officers (Bezirksamtmann)
12 Oct 1899 -  7 Oct 1914  the District Officers of the 
                           Western Caroline Islands
                           (see under Micronesia)
Commanders of Interim Southern Islands Defense Unit
(in charge of administration the Caroline, Marshall, 
Northern Mariana and Palau islands)
28 Dec 1914 -  6 Aug 1915  Tatsuo Matsumura                (b. 1868 - d. 1932)
 6 Aug 1915 -  1 Dec 1916  Kichitaro Togo                  (b. 1866 - d. 1942) 
 1 Dec 1916 -  1 Dec 1917  Masujiro Yoshida                (b. 1867 - d. 1942) 
 1 Dec 1917 -  1 Dec 1919  Yasujiro Nagata                 (b. 1866 - d. 1923)
 1 Dec 1919 -  1 Apr 1922  Kojoro Nozaki                   (b. 1872 - d. 1946)
Head of Civil Affairs Bureau
 1 Jul 1918 -  1 Apr 1922  Toshiro Tezuko
Governors 
 1 Apr 1922 -  4 Apr 1923  Toshiro Tezuko
 4 Apr 1923 - 11 Oct 1931  Gosuke Yokota                   (d. 1931)
12 Oct 1931 - 21 Nov 1931  Mitsusada Horiguchi
21 Nov 1931 -  5 Feb 1932  Kazuo Tawara
 5 Feb 1932 -  4 Aug 1933  Masayuki Matsuda
 4 Aug 1933 - 19 Sep 1936  Hisao Hayashi
19 Sep 1936 -  9 Apr 1940  Kenjiro Kitajima                (b. 1893 - d. 1957)
 9 Apr 1940 -  5 Nov 1943  Shunsuke Kondo                  (b. 1891? - d. 1966)
 5 Nov 1943 -  2 Feb 1944  Ishiro Hosokaya                 (b. 1888 - d. 1964)
Military Governors       
1944 - 18 Jul 1947         the Commanders of U.S. Naval Forces
                           Mariana Islands
Palau (Belau) District Administrators (Distad)
Sep 1947 - 1947            William C. Ball
Dec 1947 - Mar 1949        Chesley M. Hardison
Jun 1949 - Jun 1951        Alan D. Curtis
Jun 1951 - Oct 1953        ....
Oct 1953 - Oct 1958        David Donald Heron              (b. 1903 – d. 1964)
1958 - 24 Aug 1962         Francis B. Mahoney              (b. 1922 - d. 1981)
                             (acting to 1959)
1962 - 1966                Manuel Godinez                  (b. 1914 - d. 1990)
1966 - 1969                James Boyd MacKenzie            (b. 1918 – d. 1978) 
1969 - 1969                James C. Flannery
 1 Nov 1969 - 1979         Thomas O. Remengesau, Sr.       (b. 1931?)
                             (acting to 1970)
1979 - 31 Dec 1980         Kim B. Batcheller (acting) 
Director of the Palau Office of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
13 Dec 1990 - 24 Oct 1994  J. Victor Hobson, Jr.
Presidents
 1 Jan 1981 -  2 Mar 1981  Ngirngetpak Tosiwo Nakamura     (b. 1938 - d. 2003)  Non-party
                             (Speaker of the Legislature)
                             (acting)
 2 Mar 1981 - 30 Jun 1985  Haruo Ignacio Remeliik          (b. 1934 - d. 1985)  Non-party
30 Jun 1985 -  2 Jul 1985  Thomas Ongelibel Remengesau, Sr.(s.a.)               Non-party
                             (1st time)(acting)
 2 Jul 1985 - 25 Oct 1985  Alfonso Rehobong Oiterong       (b. 1925?)           Non-party
25 Oct 1985 - 20 Aug 1988  Lazarus Eitaro Salii            (b. 1935 - d. 1988)  Non-party
20 Aug 1988 -  1 Jan 1989  Thomas Ongelibel Remengesau, Sr.(s.a.)               Non-party
                             (2nd time) 
 1 Jan 1989 -  1 Jan 1993  Ngiratkel Etpison               (b. 1925? - d. 1997) Non-party
 1 Jan 1993 -  1 Jan 2001  Kuniwo Nakamura                 (b. 1943)            Non-party
 1 Jan 2001 - 15 Jan 2009  Thomas "Tommy" Remengesau, Jr.  (b. 1956)            Non-party
15 Jan 2009 -              Johnson Toribiong               (b. 1946)            Non-party
 

No Political Parties Exist

Territorial Disputes: Maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines, Indonesia.

Note: Palau is divided into two regions, Eoueldaob and Babeldaob (Babelthuap; dominated by one big island). The highest chief in Eoueldaob (and in his own estimation in all Palau) is the Ibedul, the chief of Oreor (Koror)(ritual name Ngerekldeu); the highest chief in Babeldoab is the Reklai, the chief of Melekeok (ritual name Ngetelngal), following an earlier line of chiefs with the style Tmekei.

Chiefs (title Ibedul)
c.1710                     Mlad ra ulekadei "ibedul re kerel"
17.. - 17..                Kemangel ibedul
17.. - 17..                Mlad reksom "mlad raksong"
17.. - 17..                Bokelolom ngiragolival
1783? - 1792               Ngiraidid Chorot "mlad er a burek"
                             [not the first Ibedul]
1792 - 18..                Kingsos "King George"              (d. c.1850)
.... - ....                Ngiratachadong
.... - ....                Meang Merikl "meringel a kemedil"
.... - 1867                Ngirachosarech "mlad er a soldau"  (d. 1867)
1867 - 1871                Meresou
1871 - 1911                Ngirchokebai                       (b. c.1830 - d. 1911)
1911 - 19..                Louch                          
19.. - 29 Jan 1939         Tem
1939 - 19..                Ngiraked
19.. - 1972                Ngoriakl                           (d. 1972)
1972 -                     Yutaka Miller Gibbons              (b. 1944)
1972 - 1974                Gloria Salii (f)                   (b. 1950)
                             (acting for Gibbons)

Chiefs (title Reklai)
.... - ....                Orakiruu [not the first Reklai]
c.1784                     Tereter
1800?                      Cheltuk
1820? - 1860?              Okerangel                          (d. 1860?)
1860? - 1883?              Temol
1883? - 1906               Ngirachermang (Gerabai)
1906 - 1910                Soilokel
1910 - 192.                Rrull
192. - 19..                Tellei
1973?                      Lomisang
1978?                      Termeteet (acting)
1983?                      Siangeldeb Basilius
1991?                      John Ngiraked (acting)
1998? -                    Raphael Bao Ngirmang               (b. 1932)