Nauru

Nauru A tiny island country just south of the Equator in the south-western Pacific Ocean, between longitudes 166° and 167° E.

Physical

Nauru is a coral island, with a band of fertile land around the coast rising to a central plateau.

Economy

Nauru's wealth lies in phosphate deposits derived from guano, the excrement of seabirds, which is used as manure. The supply of phosphates is almost exhausted and money has been invested abroad to provide an alternative source of revenue in the future.

History

Nauru was settled by various Polynesian peoples who travelled there from other islands before being discovered by the British in 1798. In 1899 a British company, the Pacific Islands Company based in Sydney, found that the island comprised the world's richest deposits of phosphate of lime. The company began mining the deposits in 1906. From 1888 to 1914 the island was part of Germany's Marshall Islands protectorate. Thereafter, apart from three years of Japanese occupation during World War II, Nauru was a trust territory of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, before achieving independence and a limited membership of the Commonwealth in 1968. In 1993 Australia, Britain, and New Zealand agreed to pay compensation for the damage done to the island by the extensive mining of phosphates.

Capital:	Yaren (de facto: there is no official capital)
Area:	21 sq km (8.2 sq miles)
Population:	10,500 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 Australian dollar= 100 cents
Religions:	Nauruan Protestant Church 43%
Ethnic Groups:	Nauruan 61%; other Pacific islanders 27%; Asian 9%; European 3%
Languages:	Nauruan; English
International Organizations:	Commonwealth; South Pacific Forum