Palau Is Taking Gitmo Detainees. So What's Palau?

When the island nation of Palau agreed to help President Obama close Gitmo by taking in 13 detainees, few Americans had heard of the tiny country. But the US and Palau share a close bond, NPR reports. “It’s a small island nation, but its status as a sovereign nation depends on the United States," says Palau’s president, who describes their relationship as "symbiotic."

The two countries are bound by a “compact of free association” that gives Palau's 20,000 citizens access to American jobs and education. In exchange, Palau allows the US to build military bases. Attractions like Jellyfish Lake, home to 20 million stingless jellyfish, also make the island a popular tourist destination. “The publicity that Palau has received has been priceless,” says a business owner of the Gitmo agreement.
(More Palau stories.)