Palau
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
363km²
Area
191km
Coastline
242m
Highest point
Mount Ngerchelchuus
5,185
People
30°C
Warmest sea
June
2,057km
To the mainland
When to go to Babeldaob
Best for the beach from January to May.
The sea is warmest in June (30 °C) and coolest in February (28 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Palau
Babeldaob is an island in Palau. It covers 363 km², with 191 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Ngerchelchuus, rises to 242 m. About 5,185 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2,057 km away.
Getting there
- Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- 2,057 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Maybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Babeldaob.
- 2beachesKlouel Dormechol
- 5viewpointsAirport Entrance, Natinal and 3 more
- 1lighthousesOld Japanese Lighthouse
- 3marinas
- 57named peaksMount Ngerchelchuus, Ngkesiu, Ngetchum and 54 more
- 2waterfallsNgardmau Waterfall, Mesekelat Waterfalls
- 9ruins and archaeological sitesJapanese WWII Communications Center, Old Japanese Lighthouse, Stone platform and 6 more
- 10hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 4restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Babeldaob in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Babeldaob, each with its own numbers.
31mountainsPeakyas
2waterfallsCascadyas
Highest point
242m
prominence 242 m · according to Peakyas
31 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Mount Ngerchelchuusprominence 242 m242m
- Ilabis
- Ngeruach
- Ngerikoek
- Klbael
- Etiruir
- Engas, Palau
- Iouroro
23 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
2 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Ngatpang Waterfalls
- Ngardmau Waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 56 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 52 %0–50 m
- 48 %50–200 m
- <1 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Ulimang581 people
- Mengellang488 people
- Ngchesar Hamlet300 people
- Melekeok Village271 people
- Ngchemiangel270 people
- Ngerkeai223 people
- Ngardmau221 people
- Imeong Hamlet132 people
- Ngetkib62 people
- Ngereklmadelno census figure
- Ngerulmudno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 216 | 197 | 183 | 177 | 279 | 331 | 375 | 303 | 284 | 236 | 239 | 246 |
| Wet days | 24 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 |
| Sun h/day | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 23 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.8 |
| 2021 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.2 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q746861) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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