Names: conventional long form: Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District

Capital City: Melekeok

Population: 20,579 (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $7,600 (2005 est.)

Currency: US dollar (USD)

Languages: Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)

Total Area: total: 458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Region: Oceania

Industries: tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making

Agriculture: coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish

Resources: forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals

Labor Force: 9,777 (2005)
agriculture: 20% industry: NA% services: NA% (1990)

Exports: $5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
shellfish, tuna, copra, garments

Imports: $107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs

Overview: The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri had no exports to Palau