As a keen stamp collector as a youngster and a geography fan I thought I knew all the countries of the world.
But even I was surprised when I saw on my blog that I had had a hit from Palau.
It’s not a new rice at the local takeaway but a group of Pacific islands as I found out when I went to Google.
The Republic of Palau, which is 500 miles east of the Philippines and 2,000 miles south of Tokyo (see map below), is one of the world’s youngest and smallest sovereign states, having emerged from United Nations trusteeship in 1994.
Following its defeat in the Spanish-American War, Spain sold the Caroline Islands, of which Palau is the westernmost cluster, to Germany in 1899.
In 1914 control passed to Japan and during World War II the islands were taken by the United States in 1944 with the costly Battle of Peleliu when more than 2,000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese were killed.
The islands passed formally to the United States under United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
The three main industries are fishing, subsistence farming and tourism, not surprising considering its beautiful beaches and crystal blue seas.
Now I have learnt something about this relatively new country I am intrigued to know who on the islands is interested in The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury and how on earth they came across this site.
If the person from Palau could email me on John@jbutterworth.plus.com and tell me more I would be delighted to hear from him or her.
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