The picturesque nation of Palau forms an island chain southeast of the Philippines roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) long. A trust territory of the United States from 1947 until 1994, this Micronesian archipelago is made up of eight large islands and some 250 islets.
Rising from the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean, the many islands and islets of Palau are home to pristine coral reefs, dense jungles, and ancient caves.
Learn about Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger's National Geographic Society-funded expedition to Palau in 2006 to collect bones of small-bodied humans from Ucheliungs Cave.
