The Ngebedech Terraces, or Ouballang ra Ngebedech, are located in the southwestern part 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 ...

, the largest island in

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 ...

Site description

The area covers over 160,000 sq m of grassland savannah in upland Babeldaob. The terraces performed multiple functions that include, according to UNESCO, "agriculture, settlement, defense, and ceremonial functions." Morgan (1988) argues that these terraces might be linked into larger more extended systems of complex topography.Morgan, W.N. (1988) p 4

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Tentative List on in the Cultural category.

Notes

References

Ouballang ra Ngebedech (Ngebedech Terraces) - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Retrieved 2009-03-03. *Morgan, W.N. (1988), ''Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia'', University of Texas Press. {{ISBN, 0-292-76506-1 Geography of Palau Architecture in Palau