Palau

THE REPUBLIC OF Palau, formerly known as Caroline Islands, is a group of 200 islands located in the Pacific. In total, they have a land area of 177 sq. [Page 774]mi. (459 sq. km.), with a population of 20,000 (2006 est.), and a population density of 111 people per sq. mi. (43 people per sq. km.). Because of the prosperity of Palau, it has one of the highest rates of per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the world, and is the country with the 15th largest rate of emissions. It was 15.3 metric tons per person in 1990, but was steadily reduced to 12.3 metric tons per person by 2003. Much of this comes from heavy use of electricity in air conditioning, and also, in ...