NgerulmudCapital
Palau · Country profile
Ngerulmud is the tiny hilltop capital of Palau, the modest village community that serves as the seat of the government of the island nation, set on a green rise above the western coast of the Babeldaob, the large wooded island of the north of the republic. Chosen in 2006 as the new capital to replace the former town, it gathers the domed capitol complex, the parliament and the court buildings of the country in a quiet, forested clearing, with the blue lagoon and the reef-curtained sea spread out beyond the coconut palms. The government district, the surrounding villages and the beaches of the west coast anchor the brief visit, while the extraordinary rock islands and the diving of the famous lagoon of the republic wait a short boat ride away. Peaceful, remote and deeply green, Ngerulmud is the seat of power of one of the smallest and most storied nations of the Pacific.
About Ngerulmud
Ngerulmud is the capital of Palau. The city's documented population is around 300 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the US Dollar (USD) and Palauan and English are spoken; the dialling code is +680.
The Assembly of the Nation and the Capitol of the Hill
The capital is best understood as a quiet government quarter rather than a busy town, its day set by the comings and goings of the officials and the staff of the administration rather than by shops and crowds. The capitol hill with its rotunda, its assembly halls and the parked government vehicles make a short, self-contained circuit, while the villages of the neighbourhood and the coastal roads of the west give the daily life. Nearly every visitor reaches the islands for the diving, the war relics and the beaches, passing through the capital on the road between the airport and the famous lagoon. It is a calm, green, ceremonial stop on the way through the republic.
The Villages of the Babeldaob and the Beaches of the West
The climate is the warm tropical of the western Pacific, with the heavy rainy season and the typhoon watches of the summer months, and the drier, sunnier season of the early year the preferred travel window. The dollar is the currency, the English and the Palauan the languages of the country, and the resort town of the south with its hotels, its dive shops and its restaurants anchors the traveller base, with the capital a short drive away. Modest dress for the government buildings, insect protection, and cash for the small shops complete the simple preparation. The famous lagoon, its glowing lake and its enormous reef dive sites fill the days beyond the hilltop.
The Lagoon of the Rock Islands and the Wrecks of the War
The capitol complex of the nation, the striking domed compound with the assembly and the court buildings that crowns the hill, is the whole point of the stop, and the views from its terrace over the forested coast and the lagoon are the reward. The road between the capital and the resort town runs the travellers of the republic, past the mangrove inlets, the memorials of the war and the beaches of the west, and the airport of the nation sits between the two on the mainland of the great island. The famous rock islands with their mushroom islets, their glowing lakes and their wartime wrecks, and the marine sanctuary that surrounds the whole archipelago, fill the extraordinary underwater days of the visit. As one of the smallest national capitals on earth, a peaceful hilltop where the business of the state happens in the middle of the green, Ngerulmud is a curious, pleasant footnote of a Pacific journey.
Report an error or suggest an update
- Country
- Palau
- Population
- 300
- Capital
- Ngerulmud
- Region
- Oceania
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Languages
- Palauan, English
- Calling code
- +680
- Country code
- PW
Frequently asked questions
Is Ngerulmud the capital of Palau?
Yes — Ngerulmud is the capital of Palau.
What currency do I need in Ngerulmud?
The local currency is the US Dollar (USD). Languages spoken in Palau include Palauan and English.
What is the dialling code for Palau?
The international dialling code for Palau is +680.
Flying out of Ngerulmud? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.