According to the World Atlas, Nauru is a country without capital. Yes, some resources call Yaren the capital of the nation, but this totally isn’t accurate. The island is simply an independent country in Oceania. The official name of this country is the Republic of Nauru, an island nation of Micronesia in the South Pacific.
The Territory
With an area of only 21 km2, Nauru is the smallest country in Oceania. It’s also one of the smallest countries in the world. Indeed, the country is the third smallest one, just above Vatican City and the Principality of Monaco.
With a view from above, the nation is an oval-shaped island that locates in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 42 km south of the Equator. Indeed, the flag of Nauru is no different than a map to determine its position in the middle of the Pacific Ocean: a yellow line denoting the Equator, and a white star is the Nauru island. The island is surrounded by corals, which are exposed during low tide and scattered at high tide.
Based on World Atlas, being a small country in terms of area and population, Nauru has no capital city, nor does it have a city. In fact, the nation has no official capital. Yaren is just a district located on the south bank of the island, where important buildings are located. That’s where you’ll find the National Parliament House, the Australian High Commission, the Embassy of the Republic of China, and the Nauru International Airport.
In reality, the island nation is so small that the airport’s runway spans most of the territory. The nation’s official airline once landed the only plane at the airport, until 2005 when Australian creditors seized the plane.
The Humans of Nauru
Although it is a small country, the territory of Nauru was inhabited from a very early age. Particularly, the Micronesians and Polynesians lived on the island for at least 3,000 years. The country has 12 clans, represented by 12-star wings on its flag.
Around 1830, the local people came into contact with Europeans. By 1888, the country’s territory was annexed by the Germans. After being colonized by Germany, the country continued to be occupied by Japan during the Second World War. In 1947, the United Nations established a mandate at Nauru, which was autonomous in January 1966. The nation island became an independent country in 1968.
Today, the country now has about 13,000 people, which is the second least populated country in the world, just over Vatican City with roughly 850 citizens. Unfortunately, the residents are facing a high rate of obesity, which is a result of processed foods imported from Europe that have become more popular over the past few years.
How Did Nauru Become Poor?
When claiming independence in 1968, Nauru was once the richest country in the world with abundant phosphate reserves from fossils of bird droppings. Nevertheless, its economy later collapsed when it ran out of guano. Today, the unemployment rate in this island nation is up to 90%.
How to Visit Nauru?
There are 2 main ways that visitors can travel to the country:
| By Airplane | By Boat |
|---|---|
| – Approximate 5-hour flight from Brisbane, Australia with Nauru Airlines. – About 3 hours 40 minutes from Nadi, Fiji. – Flights from other places around South Pacific. | – Taking boats to depart from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan. Yet, this way of transportation is not recommended as it’s unsafe. |
Reference
- WorldAtlas, updated Nov 2020, Maps of Nauru. [online] https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/nauru [Accessed 28 Mar. 2021].
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