Nauru

Nauru · Travel guide

Nauru () or Naoero (), officially the Republic of Naoero (), is an island country in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia region; its nearest neighbour, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) to the east, is Banaba, part of Kiribati. Yaren is its de facto capital. With an area of 21 square kilometres (8.1 mi2; 2,100 ha; 5,200 acres), Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, as well as the smallest member state of the Commonwealth of Nations by both area and population. Its population of about 12,000 is the world's third-smallest (not including colonies or overseas territories). Nauru is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. First settled by Micronesians circa 1000 BCE, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. It was…