Geography of Palau

Palau is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 459 km² (approx. 177 mi²). Continental shelf of Palau is approximately 2,837 km² (around 1,095 mi²). Palau is located in Oceania. Oceania is a region that comprises many of the islands found in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is sometimes referred to as Oceanica. Countries in Oceania include, but are not limited to, New Zealand and The Solomon Islands. Palau is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of Palau is 121 m (397 ft).

Neighbors

Total length of land borders of Palau is 0 kilometers (~0 miles). Palau has no land borders, meaning that it also has no neighbouring countries in the traditional sense of the word.

Cities

The capital city of Palau is Ngerulmud. The largest cities in Palau are Ngerulmud, Koror, Meyuns, Airai.

Elevation

The average elevation range of Palau is 121 m (397 ft). The highest point of Palau is Mount Ngerchelchuus, with its official height being 242 m (794 ft). The lowest point of Palau is Pacific Ocean. The elevation difference between the highest (Mount Ngerchelchuus) and lowest (Pacific Ocean) points of Palau is 242 m (2 ft).

Area

The total land area of Palau is 459 km² (approx. 177 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 603,978 km² (~233,196 mi²). The continental shelf of Palau is approximately 2,837 km² (around 1,095 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of Palau is approximately 604,437 km² (~233,373 mi²). Palau is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land

400 km² of Palau's territory is covered in forests, and forest land comprises 87% of all the land in the country. There are 40 km² of arable land in Palau, and it comprises 9% of the country's total territory.

Read our section on climate to discover what parameters affect these and other biomes of the country.

Natural resources

The most notable natural resources found in Palau are forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals.