Emmaimellei Fritz, Republic of Palau pavilion guide and liaison officer at Expo 2020 Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Located 890 kilometres east of the Philippines in the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean, Palau is an archipelago of more than 500 islands with a fascinating history. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo
Palau is blessed with rich natural resources. Photo: Pixabay
Palau has more species of marine life than any other area of similar size in the world and also the highest concentration of marine lakes – unique biospheres that have been separated from the ocean by land barriers and continue to yield discoveries of new species. Photo: Charly W Karl / Flickr
Tourism is the main industry in Palau but thanks to its isolation, the country has only had three cases of Covid-19. More than 90 per cent of its inhabitants are vaccinated. Photo: Unsplash
Palau has become the first country to ban reef-toxic sunscreen.
The Palau Pledge is stamped in the passport of every visitor to the Micronesian nation. Visitors must sign the pledge and promise to tread lightly on the land. Photo: The Palau Legacy Project
A downed Second World War aircraft in the waters around Palau, which attracts adventurous scuba divers. Photo: Unsplash
As a citizen of a nation with only 20,000 people, Emmaimellei Fritz regularly has to show Expo 2020 Dubai visitors where to find Palau on the map.
Located 890 kilometres east of the Philippines, in the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean, Palau is an archipelago of more than 500 islands with a fascinating history.
The Germans, Spanish, Japanese and Americans have at one time colonised the country, but now it is fiercely independent.
"We are a proud nation," Ms Fritz said. "We are proud of our pristine paradise."
Palauans are friendly and the country is famous for its scuba diving, its jellyfish lake – and it is summer all year round
Emmaimellei Fritz, Palau pavilion
Five Palauans flew over for Expo 2020 Dubai and will remain in the emirate for six months, living away from their families. They arrived on September 23 and are staying in the Expo Village.
"It's a great opportunity, I had never been to Dubai before and it's amazing," said Ms Fritz.
"It feels amazing to be representing our nation. We were nominated by the Palau Chamber of Commerce to represent Palau."
Learning from the ocean
The pavilion is proving popular, with regular visitors popping in to tour the colourful exhibits on the archipelago's varied flora and fauna.
With its 'Learning from the Ocean', the focus of the pavilion is on conservation and promoting responsible tourism.
Palau has more species of marine life than any other area of similar size in the world, and also the highest concentration of marine lakes – unique biospheres that have been separated from the ocean by land barriers, and continue to yield discoveries of new species.
The country believes it can be a role model for the rest of the world, due to a century-old practice called "bul", through which the delicate ecosystem of the islands was managed sustainably.
This involved making certain parts of the reef off-limits to fishing during spawning and feeding to allow fish to thrive. Now, bul has become the philosophy on which the nation has based its new 500,000-square-metre marine reserve.
Tourism is the main industry in Palau but thanks to its isolated position, the country has only had three cases of Covid-19. More than 90 per cent of its inhabitants are vaccinated.
Ms Fritz hopes the pavilion will encourage more people to visit the country.
"It is summer all year round in Palau, and very tropical," she said.
"Palauans are friendly and the country is famous for its scuba diving, jellyfish lake [which is home to millions of golden jellyfish] and the only shark sanctuary in the world."
As for tourists exploring Expo 2020 Dubai, Ms Fritz recommended they should visit the other Pacific Island pavilions, as well as the Russian structure.
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
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63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
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Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out) bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
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