Koror (city)
Koror | |
---|---|
City of Koror | |
Top: Koror coastline; Middle: Koror State Government Building, Belau National Museum; WCTC Shopping Center, Etpison Museum | |
![]() Location within Koror state | |
Location in Palau | |
Coordinates: 7°20.5167′N 134°28.75′E / 7.3419450°N 134.47917°E | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1866 |
Population (1993) | |
• Total | 7,000 |
Time zone | UTC+9 (Palau Standard Time) |
Area code | (+680) 488 |
Koror (English: /ˈkɔːˌrɔːr/, KAW-rawr;[1]) is the largest city and the commercial centre in Palau, home to about half of the country's population, located on Koror Island (also Oreor Island).
History
[edit]- Images of Koror during the Japanese period
Koror was the administrative centre of the South Seas Mandate of the Japanese Empire.[2] Koror expanded during Japanese rule from a village of a few hundred people in 1920. to a centre of governance and trade with over 2,000 people by the 1930s.[3] A Shinto shrine was completed in November 1940.[4]
The native Palauan population of Koror was sent to Aimeliik in 1943, and Aimeliik became known as the Second Koror.[5] The city was never invaded during World War II.[2] The Japanese military abandoned Koror in favour of Aimeliik after a bombing raid in 1944, while most of the civilian population fled to Babeldaob.[6]
Parts of the city were destroyed by American aerial bombardment during the war, and after the United States occupied the city they burnt or tore down the remainder of the city, leaving only a few buildings for the occupation forces.[7][8]
Geography
[edit]In 1993, Koror was home to more than 7,000 people, but in the recent past the number was at times even greater as large numbers of people from other areas would stay in Koror to conduct business. The town is composed of ten hamlets where traditional roots are strong. Koror sprawls across the western end of Oreor Island along a low ridge. This is the volcanic island half of Oreor; the rock island half is, like most of the rock islands, uninhabited.[9]
Economy
[edit]Koror is the main tourist destination in Palau and has many resorts, nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels. The government is also a large employer in the city. Tuna export and copra production are two other economic activities of the city.[1]
The Palau Continental Hotel in Koror was the first tourist hotel in Palau although its 56 rooms were less than the 184 room and 200 room hotels in Saipan and Guam.[10]
Climate
[edit]Koror has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af).[11] The number of days with temperatures above 90°F rose from 46 per year between 1952 to 1961, to 100 per year from 2009 to 2018. The number of nights with temperatures below 74°F fell from 40 per year from 1952 to 1961, to 13 from 2009 to 2018.[12]
Climate data for Palau | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.0 (87.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.3 (81.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 271.8 (10.70) |
231.6 (9.12) |
208.3 (8.20) |
220.2 (8.67) |
304.5 (11.99) |
438.7 (17.27) |
458.2 (18.04) |
379.7 (14.95) |
301.2 (11.86) |
352.3 (13.87) |
287.5 (11.32) |
304.3 (11.98) |
3,758.3 (147.97) |
Average rainy days | 19.0 | 15.9 | 16.7 | 14.8 | 20.0 | 21.9 | 21.0 | 19.8 | 16.8 | 20.1 | 18.7 | 19.9 | 224.6 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 198.4 | 194.9 | 244.9 | 234.0 | 210.8 | 168.0 | 186.0 | 176.7 | 198.0 | 179.8 | 183.0 | 182.9 | 2,357.4 |
Source: Hong Kong Observatory[13] |
Twin towns and sister cities
[edit]Koror City is twinned with:
Angeles City, Philippines[14]
Davao City, Philippines[15]
Gilroy, United States[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Koror, World Book Advanced, World Book, Chicago
- ^ a b Mawdsley 2024, p. 125.
- ^ Hezel 1995, p. 202.
- ^ Hezel 1995, p. 213.
- ^ Hezel 1995, p. 225.
- ^ Hezel 1995, p. 235.
- ^ Dunnahoo, Terry (1988). "Palau". U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States. New York: F. Watts. pp. 65–66. ISBN 978-0-531-10605-1. OCLC 1151687005.
- ^ Ehrlich, Paul R. (1984). Koror: a center of power, commerce and colonial administration. Saipan, C.M.: Micronesian Archaeological Survey, Office of the High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. p. 61.
- ^ Snyder, David.; Adams, William Hampton; Butler, Brian M. (1997). Archaeology and historic preservation in Palau. Anthropology research series / Division of Cultural Affairs, Republic of Palau 2. San Francisco: U.S. National Park Service.
- ^ Carlile 2000, pp. 427–428.
- ^ "Koror, Palau Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
- ^ Indicators of Climate Change in Palau 2020, p. 14.
- ^ "Climatological Information for Palau Islands, Pacific Islands, United States". Hong Kong Observatory. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ "Angeles, Davao mayors ink sisterhood pact". sunstar.com.ph. SunStar Philippines. 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ^ "City eyes sisterhood pact with town in Bulacan". mindanews.com. Mindanao Times. 2020-02-13. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ^ "Koror". gilroysistercities.org. Gilroy Sister Cities Association. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
Works cited
[edit]Books
[edit]- Hezel, Francis (1995). Strangers in Their Own Land: A Century of Colonial Rule in the Caroline and Marshall Islands. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780824864491.
- Mawdsley, Evan (2024). Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300255454.
Journals
[edit]- "Indicators of Climate Change in Palau". Climate Change in Palau. East–West Center: 14–25. 2020. doi:10.2307/resrep28813.5.
- Carlile, Lonny (2000). "Niche or Mass Market? The Regional Context of Tourism in Palau". The Contemporary Pacific. 12 (2). University of Hawaiʻi Press: 415–436. doi:10.2307/23717348. JSTOR 23717348.
This article incorporates public domain material from Snyder, David.; Adams, William Hampton; Butler, Brian M. (1997). Archaeology and historic preservation in Palau. Anthropology research series / Division of Cultural Affairs, Republic of Palau 2. San Francisco: U.S. National Park Service.