Ngerulmud - capital of Palau
In a unique case, the capital of Palau, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean (Philippine Sea), consists of a single building. This is Ngerulmud. The second feature is that the name is very difficult to pronounce and to remember..
Leader change
The locals were very surprised, because the first capital of this island state was the city of Koror, which met all the requirements for cities with such a status. It was one of the largest in the country, had a convenient location - on the coast, with developed infrastructure and beautiful landscapes.
In 2006, the government made the most controversial decision in the period of its activity - to move the capital to Ngerulmud. The problem arose due to the fact that, according to the decision of the National Congress, the main city of the country should have been located on the largest island. The choice fell on Ngerulmud, which was created practically from scratch. The Hawaiian architecture firm, who designed the Capitol for the Micronesian capital, had to participate in the planning of the new capital of Palau..
The work dragged on very slowly until it appeared «main sponsor» represented by Taiwan, which gave money in exchange for recognizing its independence from China. As a result, the most interesting building in terms of layout has grown in the new capital. It has seats for legislative, executive and judicial bodies, they are located in three wings, connected by an open area.
Main attraction and other interesting objects
The main attraction of the capital of Palau, it is also the only one, is the building of the local government, it can be seen in the photo of all tourists who get to this remote region of the planet. The building looks very solid and impressive, while not natural materials were used for its construction - marble, stone, granite, but just newfangled fiberglass.
There are no other cultural, historical and natural sites of interest in this strange capital; you should look for them in the vicinity of Ngerulmud. True, there are not so many of them here either. Probably the most attractive for tourists are: Lake Ngardok and its main inhabitants - crocodiles; the village of Melekeok with a traditional so-called men's house. The lake is interesting because it ranks first in the list of the largest freshwater reservoirs in Micronesia, its area is almost five square kilometers. Men's houses were created in these territories in order to hide a kidnapped girl before she becomes a legal wife..
