Rock Islands

The Rock Islands, known locally as Chelbacheb, are a group of several hundred small limestone and coral uprises in the Southern Lagoon of Palau, between Koror and Peleliu. Numbering between 250 and 300 islands with a combined area of about 41 square kilometers and a highest point of 207 meters, the group is administered by Koror State and is sparsely populated, with a 2014 count of only six residents. The islands are known for their distinctive mushroom or umbrella shape, narrower at the waterline than above, produced by erosion and by the grazing of marine organisms such as sponges, bivalves and sea urchins on the limestone at sea level, further shaped over time by weathering, wind and vegetation. UNESCO inscribed the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon as a World Heritage Site in 2012, within a protected area of about 100,200 hectares plus a 164,000 hectare buffer zone. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/