Last updated on February 10th, 2022
Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania, in the Central Pacific. It has an area of 21 square km. Yaren is its capital and Denigomodu is its largest city. Nauruan is the official language of the nation. Australian dollar (AUD) is its official currency. The inhabitants or natives of this region are called Nauruan. It has no land bordering countries. Nauru also participates in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Below are some facts about Nauru’s history, economy, discovery, population, people and more.
1. Nauru is a small, oval-shaped island.
Nauru on the map
2. Phosphate mining, offshore banking and coconut products represent the prominent industries of the country.
3. Due to no resemblance of the language of Nauruans, their exact origin is not confirmed.
4. Nauru was annexed by Germany in 1888.
5. It is the world’s smallest independent republic, and it joined the UN in 1999.
6. It became independent in 1968.
7. Beginning in 1906, 90% of Nauru’s land has been mined by a consortium of UK, Australia and NZ.
8. It is the world’s smallest island country, and is situated 53 kilometers south of the Equator.
9. It is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific. The other two are: Ocean Island and Makatea.
10. The US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
11. There is only one airport in Nauru, which is the world’s third-smallest country in area, and only 30 kilometers of roadways.
12. It was discovered by a British navigator in 1798.
Flag of Nauru
13. For a period of time, Nauru’s phosphate made the tiny country’s per capita income the highest in the world, after Saudi Arabia.
14. The only railway line in the country was five kilometers long. It was used to transport phosphate from the center of the island to the processing plants at the southwest coast (2001).
15. Nauru holds the distinction of being the fattest nation in the world. Nauru’s average citizen has a BMI of between 34 and 35. The normal global average is between 18.5 and 24.9.
16. Nauru is the least-visited country in the world, with only 200 tourists visiting the country in 2011.
Nauru – the country at a glance
| Independence | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) |
|---|---|
| Capital City | Yaren (de facto) |
| Largest City | Denigomodu |
| Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
| Total area | 21 sq km |
| Population | 9,892 (2024 est.) |
| Coastline | 30 km |
| Languages | Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes I-Kiribati 2% and Chinese 2%) |
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Life expectancy at birth | 68.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Terrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Highest point | Command Ridge 70 m |
| Climate | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
| Agricultural land | 20% |
| Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Demonym | Nauruan |
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| President | David Adeang |
| National anthem | "Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru) |
| Natural resources | phosphates, fish |
| National symbols | frigatebird, calophyllum flower |
| National colors | blue, yellow, white |
| Birth rate | 20.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Sex ratio | 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Industries | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products |
| Imports | $94.2 million (2021 est.) ships, plastic products, other foods, cars, refined petroleum (2022) |
| Exports | $187 million (2021 est.) fish, phosphates, gas turbines, power equipment, plastic products (2022) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $11,400 (2023 est.) |
| Time Zone | (UTC+12) |
| Calling Code | +674 |
| Drives on the | Left |
| Internet country code | .nr |
| Table last updated | August 07, 2024 |