The capital of Palau, replacing Koror as the seat of government in 2006, is Ngerulmud.
Ngerulmud is in Melekeok State on Babeldaob, Palau’s largest island. The government complex was developed there as part of a plan to move national institutions away from the crowded commercial center of Koror. The relocation formally took place in October 2006.
Koror remains Palau’s largest population center and its main commercial, transport, and tourism hub, so it is sometimes mistakenly named as the capital. Ngerulmud is much smaller and is best understood as a purpose-built governmental seat rather than a large conventional city. The Capitol complex includes the national legislature and executive offices, with architecture influenced by Palau’s cultural traditions and the region’s tropical environment.
Palau is an island republic in the western Pacific, made up of hundreds of islands, although only a fraction are inhabited. Ngerulmud’s location on Babeldaob also highlights the distinction between a country’s political capital and its better-known urban or economic center.