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Ngerulmud
Ngerulmud () is the seat of government of the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It replaced Koror City as a capital in October 2006. The settlement is located in the state of Melekeok on Babeldaob, the country's largest island, located northeast of Koror City and northwest of Melekeok City. With no permanent fixed population, it is the least-populous capital city of a sovereign nation in the world.
AI overview
Ngerulmud is the capital and government seat of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific, having replaced the former capital of Koror City in 2006. It is notable for being the world's least-populous capital of a sovereign nation, as it has no permanent fixed population.
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Place details
- Locality
- Ngerulmud
- Region
- Melekeok
- Country
- Belau
- Timezone
- Pacific/Palau
via · GeoNames
Travel guide
Understand
Babeldaob is one of the most underdeveloped populated islands in the Pacific Ocean. The village of Ngerulmud on the island has served as Palau's capital city since 2006, despite there being only about 320 people (2020) in the state. It is the smallest national capital in the world by population.
The island has fresh water in Lakes Ngardok and other watersheds which provide the country with drinking water. Ngardok Nature Reserve was established to protect the water quality.
Unlike most of the islands of Palau, Babeldaob is mountainous. It contains Palau's highest point, the 242-m-tall (794 ft) Mount Ngerchelchuus. Babeldaob's eastern coast has many sandy beaches, in particular north from Melekeok to Ngaraard, and the island's western coast has a shoreline with many mangrove forests.
Get in
From Koror you can cross over the Koror-Babeldaob (or Japan-Palau Friendship) bridge by car, bus or taxi.
Get around
Driving is the best option for getting around this sparsely populated area. The roads here tend to be in very good condition and the traffic very light.
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~4 min read
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Geography
- Climate
- Population
- See also
- References
- External links
Ngerulmud () is the seat of government of the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It replaced Koror City as a capital in October 2006. The settlement is located in the state of Melekeok on Babeldaob, the country's largest island, located northeast of Koror City and northwest of Melekeok City. With no permanent fixed population, it is the least-populous capital city of a sovereign nation in the world.
==Etymology== Ngerulmud is derived from a Palauan phrase meaning "place of fermented angelfish", referring to the hill overlooking the ocean that dominates the site. The last syllable, mud, is the Palauan word for Centropyge tibicen, also known as the keyhole angelfish. In the past, under a local tradition, women gathered on the hill to offer fermented angelfish to the gods.
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