Palau
Paleontology related stamps (prehistoric animals)

<< previous country

back to index

next country >>

Palau, officially the Republic of Palau,  is an island country with a population of 17,948 on 465 km2, located in the western Pacific Ocean. It contains approximately 250 islands, which form the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. The most populous of these is Koror. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986 but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year when the islands gained independence.


The islands first used stamps of Germany for the Caroline Islands and then stamps of Japan from 1914 to 1944. The islands then became part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific and used American stamps until 1983.
In 1944, Pelew (Palau) became a trusteeship territory under the United Nations, administered by the USA. The first of the Palauan’s own adhesive stamps were issued in 1983 after they gained sovereignty from the United States.