Koror City
City
City of Koror
Top: Koror coastline; Middle: Koror State Government Building, Belau National Museum; WCTC Shopping Center, Eptison Museum
Location within Koror
Location within Koror
Koror City is located in Palau
Koror City
Koror City
Location in Palau
Coordinates: 7°20.5167′N 134°28.75′E / 7.3419450°N 134.47917°E / 7.3419450; 134.47917
Country Palau
State Koror
Founded1866
Population
 (2006)
 • City11,200
 • Metro
14,000
Time zoneUTC+9 (Palau Standard Time)
Area code(+680) 488
Websitekororstategov.com

Koror City (English: /ˈkɔːˌrɔːr/, KAW-rawr;[1]) is the largest city and the commercial center in Palau, home to about half of the country's population, located on Oreor Island. During the interwar period it served as the capital of the South Seas Mandate, a group of islands that made up the League of Nations mandated territory held by the Empire of Japan. It was subsequently the capital of Palau until it was replaced by Ngerulmud in 2006.[2]

History

Koror was the administrative center of the Japanese South Sea Mandate, and thousands of Japanese lived in the city.[3]

Parts of the city were destroyed by American aerial bombardment during World War II, and after the United States occupied the city they burnt or tore down the remainder of the city, leaving only a few buildings for the occupation forces.[4][5]

Geography

In 1993, Koror was home to more than 7,000 people, but in the recent past the number was at times even greater as large numbers of people from other areas would stay in Koror to conduct business. The town is composed of ten hamlets where traditional roots are strong. Koror sprawls across the western end of Oreor Island along a low ridge. This is the volcanic island half of Oreor; the rock island half is, like most of the rock islands, uninhabited.[6] Koror is a part of the Koror Metropolitan Area.

Climate

Koror has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af)[7] with hot, humid weather conditions throughout the year.

Climate data for Palau
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.6
(87.1)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.9
(87.6)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.0
(87.8)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.7
(87.3)		 30.9
(87.6)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.1
(88.0)		 31.0
(87.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.3
(81.1)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.9
(82.2)		 28.0
(82.4)		 27.6
(81.7)		 27.4
(81.3)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.9
(82.2)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.6
(81.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.9
(75.0)		 23.9
(75.0)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.4
(75.9)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.2
(75.6)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.3
(75.7)		 24.5
(76.1)		 24.4
(75.9)		 24.4
(75.9)		 24.2
(75.6)		 24.2
(75.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 271.8
(10.70)		 231.6
(9.12)		 208.3
(8.20)		 220.2
(8.67)		 304.5
(11.99)		 438.7
(17.27)		 458.2
(18.04)		 379.7
(14.95)		 301.2
(11.86)		 352.3
(13.87)		 287.5
(11.32)		 304.3
(11.98)		 3,758.3
(147.97)
Average rainy days 19.0 15.9 16.7 14.8 20.0 21.9 21.0 19.8 16.8 20.1 18.7 19.9 224.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 198.4 194.9 244.9 234.0 210.8 168.0 186.0 176.7 198.0 179.8 183.0 182.9 2,357.4
Source: Hong Kong Observatory[8]

Economy

Koror is the main tourist destination in Palau and has many resorts, nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels. The government is also a large employer in the city. Tuna export and copra production are two other economic activities of the city.[1]

Places of interest

Twin towns and sister cities

Koror City is twinned with:

References

  1. 1 2 Koror, World Book Advanced, World Book, Chicago
  2. ↑ Hollywood, Mike (2006-01-12). Papa Mikeýs Palau Islands Handbook. iUniverse. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-595-82000-9.
  3. ↑ Pacific Islands (Trust Territory). (1953). The Koror community centre: reports. Technical paper (South Pacific Commission) ;no. 46. Noumea, New Caledonia: South Pacific Commission. p. 1.
  4. ↑ Dunnahoo, Terry (1988). "Palau". U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States. New York: F. Watts. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-0-531-10605-1. OCLC 1151687005.
  5. ↑ Ehrlich, Paul R. (1984). Koror: a center of power, commerce and colonial administration. Saipan, C.M.: Micronesian Archaeological Survey, Office of the High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. p. 61.
  6. ↑ Snyder, David.; Adams, William Hampton; Butler, Brian M. (1997). Archaeology and historic preservation in Palau. Anthropology research series / Division of Cultural Affairs, Republic of Palau 2. San Francisco: U.S. National Park Service.
  7. ↑ "Koror, Palau Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  8. ↑ "Climatological Information for Palau Islands, Pacific Islands, United States". Hong Kong Observatory. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Angeles, Davao mayors ink sisterhood pact". sunstar.com.ph. SunStar Philippines. 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  10. ↑ "City eyes sisterhood pact with town in Bulacan". mindanews.com. Mindanao Times. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  11. ↑ "Koror". gilroysistercities.org. Gilroy Sister Cities Association. Retrieved 2020-09-17.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Snyder, David.; Adams, William Hampton; Butler, Brian M. (1997). Archaeology and historic preservation in Palau. Anthropology research series / Division of Cultural Affairs, Republic of Palau 2. San Francisco: U.S. National Park Service.

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