Koror was until 2006 capital of Palau Republic and is now the main commercial center of the country. Koror concentrate almost 70% of the country’s population. The city has around 11 200 inhabitants and the Koror state around 14000. It is a quiet and nice town in the heart of Micronesia.
Koror is connected with the two closest islands (Ngerekebesang and Malakal) through two bridges. Another bridge connects Koror with the Babeldaob Island where the Palau International Airport is located. Koror is the only city in the Island where local people can do business or shopping, since almost all banks and commercial entities are located here.
In addition to the great American influence in the city as well as the entire country, Koror has been very influenced by the customs and culture of Philippines and Japan which have an important influence in the current culture of Koror. Nevertheless, Koror’s people conserve still some of their original traditions.
Perhaps, the most important example of the local art is the “Storyboard”, which is chiseled out of wood with rudimentary tools. The designs used by the artists can be very extravagant and complex. One of the best places in the city to see “storyboards” is the jail, which sells storyboards made by their prisoners.
Like the entire country the economy of Koror depends mainly from the tourism. Koror’s sea is one of the best places of the World to do diving. Koror is the place where most travelers stay, when they visit Palau.
Therefore, the city has a great tourist infrastructure, which includes nice hotels, cafes, bars, clubs, discos and resorts. Most places to spend the night are located in the neighbor island of Malakal.
One of the main landmarks of Koror is Dolphin´s Pacific, the largest Dolphin Research Center of the planet. In this amazing place, visitors can swim and play with the friendly dolphins. Another important attraction in Koror is the Belau Nation Museum, which has a great exhibition about the cultural history of Palau.
The Etpison Museum is also a nice place to known part of the culture of Palau. The Palau Aquarium is a beautiful place where it can appreciate part of the great underwater rich of the country. Koror is a small town, but it is also very nice.