Rock Islands
Rock Islands is an archipelago of 250 islets with lush tropical vegetation. They are located just 35 kilometers south of Palau’s capital Koror. They are the remains of an ancient coral reef rising in the Pacific Ocean. Water and marine organisms slowly erode the islands’ limestone foundations, and plant roots cling to the bare coral rocks in the absence of soil. Because of this, the Rock Islands have an unusual shape – a wide platform on a not-so-wide base – resembling a mushroom.
General Information
Due to the natural features of Rock Island permeates more than a dozen underwater tunnels, there are beautiful caves, having reached which you can get to the dry surface and walk “under the ocean”. The main attraction of the underwater world – the amazing wall Ngemelis, which starts at the surface of the water, leads further into the depths – up to three hundred meters. This unique formation consists of corals, sponges and decorated with huge coral polyps resembling trees with black bark.
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Ail Malk Island has a unique Jellyfish Lake on one of the islands, which is home to millions of tiny jellyfish that are completely safe for humans.
.The Blue Corner dive site is a favorite of Rock Island divers for its easy diving and rich underwater world. In the area of this place converge several ocean currents that bring with them huge schools of fish, and these schools in turn attract a large number of sharks – gray reef sharks, white tip, silver and even bull sharks. There are not many such concentrations of underwater life in one single place in the world, and diving at Blue Corner divers can observe this unique diversity.
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There is evidence that the Rock Islands were already inhabited in 1000 BC, but what these tribes were and where they came from remains unknown. Traces of ancient culture are of keen interest to tourists: this and stone money, and prehistoric terraces on stone slopes, and mysterious monoliths in the wilds of impenetrable jungle, and ancient rock paintings, most of which can be seen on Ulong Island. Another attraction of Palau is the World War II shipwrecks found both on land and underwater. Most of them are found near the Rock Islands. The Republic of Palau is a former part of the Pacific Islands Territory, which was administered by the United States since 1947. On October 1, 1994, the republic gained independence in “free association” with the United States. This status grants the archipelago self-government, but leaves defense, foreign affairs, and finance under U.S. jurisdiction.
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The Rock Islands have a very sensitive ecosystem that must be protected as it can be easily destroyed by a large influx of tourists, so some recent laws prohibit the construction of any buildings in this natural paradise. Palau is one of the most wonderful places on the planet and also one of the places that should be most protected. There are not many of them left..
