Destination : NAURU

The Republic of Nauru, with a coastline of 30 kilometres, is just one island located north of the Solomon Islands and just south of the equator and south of the Marshall Islands.Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Upon achieving independence in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it joined the UN in 1999.

The population of Nauru is just 9,500 with the majority being Nauruans. The balance are islanders, Asians and Europeans. Nauruan is the predominant language, however English is widely spoken and understood.

The Nauruans originated from a mixture of people from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. During the early 1800's, Nauru was a base for American whalers. In the late 1800's it came under German administration. In 1914 it was surrendered to Australia and eventually became independent in 1968, the world's smallest.

The country's predominant economic development has been based on phosphate exports, which has given Nauruans one of the highest living standards in the world. The currency of Nauru is the Australian dollar.

 

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