Disclaimer: The last edit was made in 20/2/2022 (Day, Month, Year)
Nauru
From riches to rags, we explore Nauru, the smallest republic, smallest island-nation, smallest non-city-state, and most obese country in the world.
Flag
The flag of Nauru has a dark blue background with a yellow line and a star that is below the line. The blue represents the Pacific Ocean in which Nauru resides. The yellow line represents the equator, and the star represents Nauru which shows the relationship between the location of Nauru and the equator. The star has 12 points which display the twelve tribes that made the people groups of Nauru. Sadly, two tribes went extinct. The white on the star represents the phosphate in the country. Phosphate is so vital to Nauru that most of the country's history has to do with the mineral.
History
Due to the island's remoteness, it was a hotspot for several birds before it was inhabited. Birds would drop their feces here on the island. Why does this matter? You'll see why later.
Around 1000 B.C., Micronesians and Polynesians sailed into the island and formed 12 tribes.
The tribes are:
-Deiboe
-Eamwidara
-Eamwit
-Eamwitmwit
-Eano
-Eaoru
-Emangum
-Emea
-Irutsi (extinct)
-Iruwa
-Iwi (extinct)
-Ranibok
In 1830, Nauru was a supply stop for European whalers. In 1888, the Germans annexed Nauru ten years after the Nauruan civil war. The Germans held the 12 chiefs captive in house arrest until they would agree to the annexation. The Germans started enforcing strict rules on drinking alcohol, possessing a weapon, and clothing. The Germans began inviting missionaries inside the nation to convert the indigenous people.
1900 was the year when people found phosphate on the island. Phosphate came from the bird poop. The rich soil fertilized by the bird poop had the mineral. During World War I, Nauru belonged to Australia. In World War II, Japan claimed the island. After that, it became a trust territory of the United Nations while still being administrated by Australia. Stocks for phosphate were decreasing, so Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, wanted to move the population of Nauru into the Island of Queensland. The people of Nauru refused. They wanted independence from Australia, and they received independence on 31/1/1968.
The country was doing so well with phosphate that it soon became the wealthiest nation per capita. Sadly, Nauru took a turn for the worst. The phosphate-rich soil ran out of phosphate, and it is now hard to obtain food. Nauru is the most obese nation because all the imported food has unhealthy preservatives. It also has a detention centre for refugees, which gives Nauru a lot of problems.
Country Requirements
-Defined Territory
Nauru is 21 km squared and has 14 administrative districts. These districts are:
Aiwo
Anabar
Anetan
Anibare
Baitsi
Boe
Buada
Denigomodu
Ewa
Ijuw
Meneng
Nibok
Uaboe
Yaren
Yaren is the de facto capital. A de facto capital is a city that acts as the capital, but it's not official. They have administrative districts, meaning that Nauru is not a city-state. It's the world's smallest republic.
The country resides in Oceania. That means that this small island is in the Pacific Ocean. Out of all the sections of Oceania, Nauru is in Micronesia. The thing about Nauru is that it is only one tiny island. Most countries in Oceania have several islands. These places are called archipelagos or atolls.
Nauru is a very remote island. Think of it as a floating nugget that everyone thought deserved to be alone!
-Permanent Population
As of the twenty-first of January, in 2022, at 12:30 in UTC, the population of Nauru was a small 10,931 people.
Ethnicity on a Pie Chart
The average age of everyone in Nauru is 27. 61% of the population are obese since they don't have natural food growing on the island. For a period of the nation's history, the country was the wealthiest per capita.
-Government
Nauru, formally known as the Republic of Nauru, is a parliamentary republic. The president is the head of government and chief of state. His cabinet is members of parliament that he appoints for the title. Like every republic, they have a legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch.
-Relations w/ Other Countries
Nauru has a strong relationship with many Micronesians. Fiji operates all flights to Nauru. On top of that, Fiji has many Nauruans living there for educational purposes.
Although it is the smallest island nation, it still has strong relations with Russia, the largest country in the world. Why? Because Nauru and Russia are one out of four nations that recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states. Therefore, Russia gave Nauru 50,000,000 dollars in aid.
Australia has several ties with Nauru. Australia imports food, goods, aid, and support to the small island nation.
Education
Education in Nauru is compulsory. 96.5% of the population can read due to how great the education system is. Kids learn from as early as five to as late as sixteen. Nauru wants students to become productive citizens when they travel to other countries for business purposes. Nauru has eleven schools, including the Able/Disable Centre for kids with disabilities.
The University of The South Pacific in Nauru is in the Aiwo district. It is for older children looking for an education at a university. In 1923, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand joined to make education available in English. Nauruan schools have a huge problem with being crowded. Classrooms can have up to fifty students present at once.
Weightlifting
With the assistance of an Australian coach named Paul Coffa, weightlifting became the national sport of Nauru. Many people in Nauru like to participate in the sport. On the 8th of October 2010, The Sydney Morning Herald made a webpage about Yukio Peter who helped the country win weightlifting for the 27th Commonwealth Games. Yukio claims that the Nauruan people are not meant to do typical sports like running. He said that his people are built for weightlifting.
General Information
-Nauru doesn't have a capital. It does have a de facto capital of the Yaren district which is where the House of Parliament is located.
-Currency: A$ (Australian Dollar)
-They drive on the left side of the road.
-The URL domain is .nr.
-Anthem: Nauru Bwiema
-Official Language(s): Nauruan, English (English is typically used for commercial and governmental purposes)
-Nationality: Nauruan
BEFORE YOU GO!
Nauru may seem like a small island, but it is a strong island. It's hard for the country to maintain itself, but it is trying to do so. Ever since the island lost all of its resources, it has always been relying on the aid of other countries. At the end of the day, we know that the people that struggle the most are the ones that are the bravest.
Sources
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