What is the capital of Palau?

The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. It is the country’s seat of government, located in Melekeok State on Babeldaob, Palau’s largest island.

Ngerulmud replaced Koror as Palau’s capital in October 2006. Palau’s 1979 Constitution called for a permanent capital on Babeldaob, moving the government away from the more populated commercial center of Koror. The new capital was built around a government complex containing legislative, executive and judicial buildings.

The name Ngerulmud comes from a Palauan phrase associated with fermented angelfish and a hill overlooking the ocean. The settlement is unusual because it consists mainly of government facilities and has little or no permanent residential population.

A common mix-up is Melekeok, which is the state containing Ngerulmud, not the capital itself. Babeldaob is the island, while Koror remains Palau’s largest urban and commercial center.