Garry Venus
Palau
A western Pacific archipelago where forested limestone islands rise from luminous lagoons, shaped by deep geological time and a long history of movement across the ocean.
Palau lies at the western edge of Micronesia, between the Philippines and the wider Pacific. Its people are part of the great Austronesian story that carried languages and cultures from Taiwan through Island Southeast Asia and across the Pacific. Palauan belongs to this extensive language family, although it developed along its own distinct path.
Above the water, uplifted coral reefs have been weathered into Palau’s unmistakable Rock Islands. Below it lies an equally remarkable world of coral reefs, marine lakes and sheltered lagoons. These photographs record a landscape where geological history, human settlement and the sea remain closely connected.
Palau’s Rock Islands.
Uplifted coral reefs, sculpted by weathering and rising seas, form a labyrinth of forested limestone islands, hidden lakes and luminous lagoons.
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