Ngerulmud

關於Ngerulmud

Ngerulmud is the seat of government of the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It replaced Koror City as the capital in October 2006. The settlement is located in the state of Melekeok on Babeldaob, the country's largest island, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Koror City and 2 km (1 mile) northwest of Melekeok City. Melekeok is a state and settlement in Palau located on Babeldaob Island.

With no permanent fixed population, it is the least-populous capital city of a sovereign nation in the world.

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.

The previous capital of Palau was located provisionally in Koror. The Constitution of Palau, ratified in 1979, directed the National Congress to establish a permanent capital in Babeldaob within ten years of the constitution's effective...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.