Ngiwal is one of the sixteen states of

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

. It has a population of 282 (census 2015) and an area of 26 km². On June 21, 2018,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese ambassador Toshiyuki Yamada gave Japan's multipurpose center to Ngiwal.

Geography

Ngiwal is situated between Melekeok and

Ngaraard Ngaraard is one of the 16 states of the Republic of Palau, and was originally named Kerradel. History Ngaraard's history can be divided into four eras corresponding to Spanish, German and Japanese domination up to World War II. Spanish colo ...

on the north central east coast of

Babeldaob Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is located on Babel ...

Island. Ngiwal extends from the coast to the Rael Kedam and includes the drainage of the Ngeredekuu River. The Ngeredekuu has its headwaters on the forested east flanks of the Rael Kedam and flows through a large northwest to southeast trending valley. A coastal ridge lies between the Ngeredekuu Valley and a broad sandy plain along the coast. The modern village of Ngiwal is located on a broad section of coastal plain north of the point known as Bkulatabriual and comprises the traditional villages of Ngermechau (south) and Ngercheluuk. The traditional villages were relocated to the coast in the mid-nineteenth century from their positions on the lower slopes of the coastal ridge. Presently, most of the use of the land in Ngiwal is confined to gardens surrounding the modern village. Interspersed with these kitchen gardens are stands of agroforest which include

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

betelnut The areca nut ( or ) or betel nut () is the fruit of the areca palm (''Areca catechu''). The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian expansion, Austronesian migrations and ...

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

trees, and

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

plants. In and around many of the uninhabited villages are stands of coconut and betelnut palms, and occasionally patches of irregularly attended

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

swamp gardens. Except for occasional forays to hunt pigeon or harvest special plants, there is little active use of most of the interior of Ngiwal. The state has an area of 26 km² and is known for its beautiful beaches. To get to Ngiwal by boat it is necessary to do it at high tide, although there is a pier a couple of kilometers south of the village which can be reached at any tide. Its administrative center and main locality is Ngerkeai. The state has at least two protected areas, the Ngerbekuu Nature Reserve and the Ngemai Conservation Area.

Demography

The population of the state was 282 in the 2015 census and median age was 36.1 years. The official languages of the state are Palauan and English. In June 1972, the resident population was 419. The population was 223 inhabitants in 2005, increasing to 282 according to data from the 2015 census. Its inhabitants are mostly fishermen or public workers. There are three small family shops, a primary school and a library, which contains a large number of children's books, a copy of all Palauan books and some books in Japanese and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. Uongruious is the title of the traditional high chief from the state.

Political system

Ngiwal has its own constitution, adopted in 1983. The state government was established in 1983. The state of Ngiwal, with population of less than 300, has an elected chief executive, governor. The state also has a legislature, Kelulul a Kiuluul (KAK), elected every two years. The state population elects one of the member in the

House of Delegates of Palau The House of Delegates of Palau is the lower house of the Palau National Congress (''Olbiil era Kelulau''), Palau's bicameral legislature. The Senate of Palau is the upper house. The House of Delegates has 16 members, each serving four-year term ...

Traditional villages

There are at least four traditional village sites within Ngiwal, and at least two village sites are located in the Ngeredekuu Valley. The site of Old Ngiwal is located on the west facing slopes of the coastal ridge at the end of a mangrove channel on the east side of the Ngeredekuu River near to where it empties into the large, shallow bay which separates Ngiwal and Melekeok. The traditional villages represent important symbols giving identity to families, clans and regions. Within villages are numerous stone features with historical and traditional importance. Many of the stone platforms, odesongel, serve as clan cemeteries, and other stone features serve as shrines. The lagoon is an important resource area which was intensively exploited prehistorically. Important resources include the many species of fish. Near the traditional villages are

swamp gardens, and surrounding most village sites are garden plots and terraced hillsides.

Education

The

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

operates public schools. Palau High School in Koror is the country's only public high school, so children from this community go there.About
." Palau High School. Retrieved on February 22, 2018. The Ngiwal state scholarship offers two scholarships: one for becoming a Palauian citizen, and one for a student at a college, university, or vocational school.

References

External links

Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Palau to the UK &NI
{{authority control * States of Palau