- published: 03 Sep 2015
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Palau (i/pəˈlaʊ/, sometimes spelled Belau or Pelew), officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu ęr a Belau), is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. Geographically part of the larger island group of Micronesia, with the country's population of around 21,000 people spread out over 250 islands forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands. The islands share maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The most populous island in the group is Koror, with the capital city, Ngerulmud, located on nearby Babeldaob.
The country were originally settled around 3000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines, with a Negrito population sustained until around 900 years ago. The islands were first visited by Europeans in the 18th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1885. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, where they were administered as part of German New Guinea. The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered Palau during World War I, and the islands were later made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Pacific Mandate by the League of Nations. During World War II, skirmishes, including the major Battle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. Along with other Pacific Islands, Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947. Having voted against joining the newly-independent Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, the islands gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States.
Palau Blaugrana (Catalan pronunciation: [pəˈɫaw ˌβɫawˈɣɾanə], meaning in English "Blue and deep red Palace") is an arena in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), belonging to FC Barcelona (FCB). The 7,585 seating capacity arena is home to the basketball, handball, roller hockey, and futsal divisions of FC Barcelona. Palau Blaugrana is located between Mini Estadi and the Camp Nou.
Built in 1971, the stadium originally held 5,696 spectators, but the facility was remodeled in 1994 to fit the current capacity of 7,585. During the 1992 Summer Olympics, the arena hosted several events, including roller hockey, taekwondo and judo.
Several basketball and handball players have had their jerseys retired:
4 Andrés Jiménez, 7 Nacho Solozábal and 15 Epi for basketball and 2 Òscar Grau, 7 Iñaki Urdangarin, 14 Joan Sagalés, and 16 David Barrufet for handball.
Under Sandro Rosell's presidency, the club announced that by 2013 it plans to build a new Palau Blaugrana for the handball and basketball teams, with a capacity of 12,000 seats. Also included in the plan, is a smaller campus with a capacity of 3,000 seats, plus [a special conditions] for hotel partners (operated by a specialist company located on the corner of Aristides Maillol with John XXIII), new parking spaces and an auditorium, with a 2,000 capacity, for the foundation, including the offices of the club.