Rock Islands (Palau)

The Chelbacheb Islands, also known as the Rock Islands of Palau, are lying in the western Pacific and counting to the island Republic of Palau archipelago in the center of the Palau Islands. The area extends from the southwest coast of the island of Koror about 40 kilometers in a straight line to the northeast coast of the island of Peleliu and is bordered on both sides by a dense coral reef.

Geology

The high from the reef out " grown" Rock Islands are small intricate or tiny circular islands, such as the lush mushroom heads sticking out of the sea. The limestone islands are partially washed out or eroded, leading to unique island forms or cave formations led ( cone karst ). On the slightly larger islands also provide brackish water lakes; one of the best known of this is the Jellyfish Lake on Eil Malk island.

Geography

The archipelago consists of a large lagoon, are the four main island groups, and an oval reef that almost completely surrounds the lagoon; only to the island of Koror towards the reef is of course interrupted. An artificial breakthrough is the " German Channel" in the southwestern reef. During colonization of Palau by the German Reich here a narrow channel was blasted into the reef to allow a direct ferry connection from the phosphate mines on Angaur with the port of Koror.

The Chelbacheb Islands counting between 200 and 300 islands, of which not a single is permanently inhabited. They can be roughly divided into four main groups:

• Urukthapel Islands: group of islands southwest of the Ulebsechel Islands
• Ulong Islands: group of islands west of Urukthapel Islands
• Mecherchar Islands: group of islands in the southeast of the archipelago ( there is the island of Eil Malk )

There are also some smaller groups of islands in the southwest and south of the archipelago, such as:

• Seventy Islands: group of islands west of Mecherchar Islands
• Ngemelis Islands: group of islands south of the Seventy Islands
• Ngeroi Islands: group of islands in the far south, near the island of Peleliu

In addition there are numerous scattered islands that can not be directly attributable to a main or sub- group. The total area of ​​all land areas of the Rock Islands is estimated to be 70 km ².

Tourism and conservation

This rambling island area and its underwater world are a popular holiday destination of scuba divers and kayakers from around the world. However, the Rock Islands are also a maritime nature reserve, which can be busy and committed to the preservation of nature above and below water only at certain points. On 29 June 2012, the southern lagoon of the island was declared a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage.