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 of21 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
Flag of Nauru. Image credit – CIA
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
12,033 (2025 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)
