History of Palau Palau was initially settled over 3,000 years
ago, and perhaps 4,500 years ago, probably by migrants from the
Philippines. British traders became prominent visitors in the
18th century, followed by expanding Spanish influence in the
19th century. Following its defeat in the Spanish-American War,
Spain sold Palau and most of the rest of the Caroline Islands to
Germany in 1899. Control passed to Japan in 1914 and during
World War II the islands were taken by the United States in
1944, with the costly Battle of Peleliu between September 15 and
November 25 with more than 2,000 Americans and 10,000 Japanese
killed. The islands passed formally to the United States under
United Nations auspices in 1947 as part of the Trust Territory
of the Pacific Islands. Four of the Trust Territory districts
formed a single federated Micronesian state in 1979, but the
districts of Palau and the Marshall Islands declined to
participate. Palau, the westernmost cluster of the Caroline
Islands, instead opted for indepe