Palau

PALAU

A. THE COUNTRY

The Republic of Palau is one of the world’s youngest and smallest
sovereign states.  Located in the Pacific Ocean, Palau is sixteen
inhabited volcanic and coralline islands.  The democratic presidential
republic is the main employer.  There is subsistence agriculture,
fishing and some tourism but the nation relies heavily on U.S. aid.
Palau is being used as a new place of settlement for Uyghur ex-detainies
of Guantanamo and for Burmese political refugees.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~20,675 and official language Palauan.  ~81.4% are
Micronesian, ~18.5% Other (Filipino, Chinese, U.S. citizens).
There is debilitating effects of U.S. aid, material comforts and
enormous consumption of beer.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

Many older people are followers of the Modekngei movement, a religion
unique to Palau that is a mixture of Christianity and magic.
~95.9% claim to be Christian, ~2.4% Non-religious, ~1.05% Chinese,
~0.65% Baha’i.
In the Christian category:
~42.45% are Catholic, ~25.56% Protestant, ~13.2% Unaffiliated, ~3.45%
Independent.
Evangelicals represent ~23.9% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~5.8% and of those ~1.7% are Pentecostals.
‘Marginal’ groups originating in Western society represent ~11.24% of
the population.

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.