English is the official language in all of Palau's 16 states. However, Palauan, a Malayo-Polynesian language related to Indonesian, is the most commonly spoken language. It was the language spoken at home by 81% of the people five years of age or over in 1990, in contrast to 3% who spoke only English at home. Palauan is used, in addition to English, as an official language in 13 states. Sonsorolese is official in the state of Sonsoral; Anguar and Japanese in the state of Anguar; and Tobi in the state of Tobi.
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