Crystal clear seas lap against a leafy oasis on the Pacific island of Palau. But if its mere 390 residents and vacant grand buildings leave you thinking this is a failed building project or bustling centre, you would think wrong. Ngerulmud, is in fact the capital city of the Pacific island nation of Palau.
It is one of the least populated capitals in the world. Originally, Koror served as Palau's capital and remains its commercial hub. However, plans to shift government offices to Ngerulmud began in 1986, and by 2006, the capital was officially relocated following the opening of Ngerulmund’s grand domed buildings.
Despite its status, Ngerulmud remains largely uninhabited, earning it a reputation as a unique capital due to its low population and minimal activity. The decision to move the capital from Koror was decided by the country's constitution, in 1979, which instructed the Palau National Congress to establish a permanent capital in Babeldaob within ten years. But today, this decision is largely a useless piece of paperwork.
Planning for the new capital started in 1986 when a Hawaii-based architecture firm that had previously designed the Federated States of Micronesia's capitol complex, was contracted. Progress was slow due to a lack of engineers and architects in Palau, and the need to import most construction materials. It wasn't until the early 2000s that further work began when Palau secured a $20 million loan from Taiwan in an effort to strengthen relations between.
