Peleliu (island)

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Peleliu
Map of Peleliu
Map of Peleliu
Waters Pacific Ocean
Archipelago Palau Islands
Geographical location 7 ° 0 '45 "  N , 134 ° 15' 1"  E Coordinates: 7 ° 0 '45 "  N , 134 ° 15' 1"  E
Peleliu (island) (Palau)
Peleliu (island)
length 9.8 km
width 1.6 km
surface 13 km²
Highest elevation Rois Kar
75  m
Residents 571 (2000)
44 inhabitants / km²
main place Kloulklubed

Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the Pacific Ocean ; it belongs to the island republic of Palau .

geography

Peleliu is about 10 kilometers northeast of Angaur Island and 40 kilometers southwest of Koror Island . 571 people live on 13 square kilometers ( census : 2000). The capital, Kloulklubed, is located in the northwest of the island.

history

Ruins of the Japanese command bunker on Peleliu

During the Second World War , the Battle of Peleliu between American and Japanese forces took place here. There were heavy casualties on both sides of the fighting, but notably, there were no casualties among local civilians because they were evacuated to other islands in Palau prior to the fighting. The bunkers of the Japanese armed forces, some American tanks and a crashed plane can still be visited today . American veterans visit the island regularly as part of organized tours and commemorate the dead at the American Memorial . There is also a memorial for the fallen Japanese soldiers on the island. Peleliu and Angaur were the only islands in the Palauean Archipelago to be occupied by the Americans during the war; the then main island of Koror remained in Japanese hands until the end of the war.

Today, the administrative seat of the Palauian province of Peleliu , to which about 10 other islands belong, is located on the island of Peleliu .

Infrastructure

Main street of Peleliu

The airfield (1,850 m) laid out in the south by the Japanese during World War II has the longest and widest runway in Palau, but has only been served by small charter aircraft since 2006 after Palau's domestic flights were discontinued at the end of 2005. There are regular ship connections to Koror and Angaur twice a week. The small port of the island is located in the far north and is only suitable for yachts with shallow drafts.

tourism

Off the northwest coast of Peleliu are some of the most beautiful dive sites in Palau. However, since the journey time by boat from Koror is over an hour, these are only visited occasionally. However, these places ( Blue Corner and the Blue Holes ) can be reached very quickly from Peleliu or the island of Ngercheu ( Carp Island ) and the diving centers located there.

Web links