By 1000 B.C., Micronesian and Polynesian settlers inhabited Nauru, and the island was divided among 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, a British mariner was the first European to spot the island and by 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. A civil war in 1878 reduced the population by more than a third.
- Capital
- no official capital; government offices in the Yaren District
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Population
- 9,930
- Area
- 21 sq km
- Location
- Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
- Climate
- tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
- Natural resources
- phosphates; fish
- Languages
- Nauruan 93% (official; a distinct Pacific Island language); English 2% (widely understood; spoken…
- Religions
- Protestant 60.4% (Nauruan Congregational 34.7%; Assemblies of God 11.6%; Pacific Light House 6.3%; Nauru Independent 3.6%…
- Independence
- 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
- Administrative divisions
- 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baitsi, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
- Currency
- Australian dollars (AUD)
- Export partners
- Thailand 78%; Philippines 11%; NZ 5%; Japan 1%…
- Import partners
- Australia 50%; Japan 11%; Fiji 9%; Senegal 9%…