Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau

Palau

Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...

. It consists of several island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

s, the most prominent being Koror Island (also Oreor Island).

The state of Koror (population 14,000 ) contains about 70% of the population of the country. The nation's former capital and largest town, also called Koror is located here. The town has a population of 11,200 and is located at 7°21′38"N 134°28′45"E. As of 7 October 2006, Ngerulmud

Ngerulmud

Ngerulmud, a settlement in the State of Melekeok, is where the offices of the government of Palau are. The official capital is Melekeok. On 7 October 2006, government officials moved their offices in the former capital of Koror to Ngerulmud....

 replaced Koror as Palau's capital city.

The island of Koror is connected by bridges to two neighbouring islands:

• Ngerekebesang Island
  Ngerekebesang Island
  Ngerekebesang Island is an island in the state of Koror, Palau, where the office of the President of the Republic of Palau was located before the capital was moved to the state of Melekeok. It is composed of three towns: Ngerekebesang, Meyuns, and Echang, where most Southwest Islanders moved to...
  
  , the site of Palau's second-largest town, Meyuns
  Meyuns
  Meyens is the second most populous city in the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau, with a population of approximately 1,000. Meyuns is comparable in population to Palau's third largest city, Airai. It is located in the State of Koror, where the nation's largest city, also called Koror, is located....
  
  , in the eastern part of the island, with a population of 1,200.
• Malakal Island
  Malakal Island
  Malakal Island is an island in the state of Koror, Palau. It is located at 134.45, 7.330278.Malakal Island is the site of Koror's port, as well as the radio station T8AA-AM....
  
  , the site of Koror's port.

Koror Island is also connected by the Koror-Babeldaob Bridge

Koror-Babeldaob Bridge

The Koror-Babeldaob Bridge is a bridge in Palau that connects Koror and Babeldaob Islands. It is a reinforced concrete, portal frame, cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 413 m. It was built by the Kajima Corporation of Japan in 2002, to replace the former, collapsed bridge built by Socio...

 to the state of Airai

Airai

Airai, located on the southern coast of Babeldaob island, is the second-most populous state of Palau. It contains the country's chief airport, Airai International Airport, and is connected by the Koror-Babeldaob Bridge to nearby Koror Island....

 in the island of Babeldaob

Babeldaob

Babeldaob is the largest island in the island nation of Palau. Its area, 331 km² , makes up over 70% of the area of the entire country, and about 30% of the population, with about 6,000 people living there...

, where Palau International Airport

Palau International Airport

Roman Tmetuchl International Airport is the main airport of Palau. It is located just north of Airai on Babelthuap island. The airport is 6 miles from Koror and 15 miles from Melekeok....

 is located.

Besides the former capital Koror and the town of Meyuns, there are a total of 11 hamlets in the state of Koror:

• Ngermid
• Ngerkeseuaol
• Ngerchemai
• Iyebukel
• Idid
• Meketii
• Dngeronger
• Ikelau
• Medalaii
• Ngerbeched
• Ngerkebesang

Koror was the capital of the South Pacific Mandate

South Pacific Mandate

The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...

 during the period of rule by the Empire of Japan

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

.

Tourism

Much of Palau's economy comes from tourism. Diving

Diving

Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...

 in the state of Koror is one of the most spectacular experiences to go through.
The Rock Islands of Palau are all located in the state. Scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

 shops and facilities are located all over Koror.
Accommodation like hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes, and resorts are all available.
Dolphins Pacific, the world's largest dolphin research facility, is open for tourists who are interested in swimming and interacting with trained dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

s. Most tourists to Palau stay in Koror, which is the centre for Palau's resort services and house modern conveniences. Koror has businesses that cater to speakers of many languages.

By 2001, the Koror Jail

Koror Jail

Koror Jail is a correctional facility located in the Republic of Palau. It is the only facility of its kind in Palau, and it is located on the island of Koror in a governmental center between buildings that house federal offices and the Palau National Congress...

, Palau's only correctional facility, has become a tourist destination thanks to inmates who create and sell elaborate wooden storyboards at a retail facility located on the jail's grounds.

Economy

Belau Air

Belau Air

Belau Air is a Palauan airline with its headquarters in Koror. Belau Air is the only air carrier operating solely throughout the island nation of Palau, having its hub at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport in the state of Airai nearby the country's main city and former capital Koror...

 has its headquarters in Koror, as did the short-lived Pacific Flier

Pacific Flier

PacificFlier was a short-lived airline based in Koror, Palau, operating chartered passenger flights out of its base at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport. The airline only had one single aircraft, a leased Airbus A310-300, which was equipped with 194 passenger seats, 18 of which were located in...

in 2010.