Misplaced Pages

#41958

77-715: Nauru ( / n ɑː ˈ uː r uː / nah- OO -roo or / ˈ n aʊ r uː / NOW -roo ; Nauruan : Naoero ), officially the Republic of Nauru ( Nauruan : Repubrikin Naoero ) and formerly known as Pleasant Island , is an island country and microstate in Micronesia , part of the Oceania region in the Central Pacific . Its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati about 300 km (190 mi) to

154-481: A state of emergency with Native Police and armed volunteers of locals and Australian officials being mobilised. This force, using sub-machine guns and other firearms, opened fire on the Chinese workers killing two and wounding sixteen. Around 50 of the workers were arrested and two of these were bayoneted to death while in custody. The trooper who bayoneted the prisoners was charged but later acquitted on grounds that

231-461: A tax haven and illegal money laundering centre. Nauru was first settled by Micronesians at least 3,000 years ago, and there is evidence of possible Polynesian influence. Comparatively little is known of Nauruan prehistory, although the island is believed to have had a long period of isolation, which accounts for the distinct language that developed among the inhabitants. There were traditionally 12 clans or tribes on Nauru, which are represented in

308-477: A tilde . In 1938, there was an attempt by the Nauruan language committee and Timothy Detudamo to make the language easier to read for Europeans and Americans. It was intended to introduce as many diacritical symbols as possible for the different vowel sounds to state the variety of the Nauruan language in writing. It was decided to introduce only a circumflex accent in the place of the former tilde , so that

385-564: A League of Nations mandate. The Nauru Island Agreement forged in 1919 between the governments of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand provided for the administration of the island and extraction of the phosphate deposits by an intergovernmental British Phosphate Commission (BPC). The terms of the League of Nations mandate were drawn up in 1920. The island experienced an influenza epidemic and ongoing colonial strife through

462-467: A century. However, this has seriously harmed the country's environment, causing the island nation to suffer from what is often referred to as the " resource curse ". The phosphate was exhausted in the 1990s, and the remaining reserves are not economically viable for extraction. A trust established to manage the island's accumulated mining wealth, set up for the day the reserves would be exhausted, has diminished in value. To earn income, Nauru briefly became

539-645: A climate-monitoring facility on the island. A significant portion of Nauru's income has been in the form of aid from Australia. In 2001, the MV Tampa , a Norwegian ship that had rescued 438 refugees from a stranded boat, was seeking to dock in Australia. In what became known as the Tampa affair , the ship was refused entry and boarded by Australian troops . The refugees were eventually taken to Nauru to be held in detention facilities which later became part of

616-731: A colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I , Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia , New Zealand , and the United Kingdom . During World War II , Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops, and was bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, the country entered into United Nations trusteeship . Nauru gained its independence in 1968. At various points since 2001, it has accepted aid from

693-506: A fast-tracked compliance process and the country was given a "largely compliant" rating. The Nauru 2017–2018 budget, delivered by Minister of Finance David Adeang , forecast A$ 128.7 million in revenues and A$ 128.6 million in expenditures and projected modest economic growth for the nation over the next two years. In 2018, the Nauru government partnered with the deep sea mining company DeepGreen, now Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI),

770-559: A few of the German loanwords (e.g. Gott , " God "; and Firmament , " celestial sphere ") in Nauruan, which is traced back to the strong influence of German missionaries . Flag of Nauru Following the independence of Nauru , the flag of Nauru ( Nauruan : anidenin Naoero ) was raised for the first time. The flag, chosen in a local design competition, was adopted on independence day, 31 January 1968. The design symbolically depicts Nauru's geographical position, with

847-440: A joint administering authority. The Nauru Island Agreement provided for the first administrator to be appointed by Australia for five years, leaving subsequent appointments to be decided by the three governments. However, in practice, administrative power was exercised by Australia alone. The 1948 Nauru riots occurred when Chinese guano mining workers went on strike over pay and conditions. The Australian administration imposed

SECTION 10

#1732772791042

924-545: A lease arrangement with landowners to use land. Non-Nauruans cannot own land on the island. Nauru's Supreme Court , headed by the Chief Justice, is paramount on constitutional issues . Other cases can be appealed to the two-judge Appellate Court . Parliament cannot overturn court decisions. Historically, Appellate Court rulings could be appealed to the High Court of Australia , though this happened only rarely and

1001-464: A report published in 1937 in Sydney , Australia , there was a diversity of dialects until Nauru became a colony of Germany in 1888 and the first texts in Nauruan began to be published. The varieties were so divergent that people from different districts often had problems understanding each other completely. With the increasing influence of foreign languages and the rise in the number of Nauruan texts,

1078-580: A star just south of the Equator . The flag reflects the geographical location of the island nation . The narrow gold stripe with a width of 1 ⁄ 12 of the length of the flag represents the Equator . The stripe along with the star signifies the location of the island in the Pacific Ocean one degree south of the Equator. The separation of the blue flag cloth into two equal parts recalls

1155-417: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian The Metals Company . They planned to harvest manganese nodules whose minerals and metals can be used in the development of sustainable energy technology. Nauru had 12,511 residents as of July 2021. The population was previously larger, but in 2006 the island saw 1,500 people leave during a repatriation of immigrant workers from Kiribati and Tuvalu. The repatriation

1232-448: Is Denigomodu , with 1,804 residents, of which 1,497 reside in a Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation settlement called "Location". The following table shows population by district according to the 2011 census. Before a resurgence in the 2010s, the Nauruan economy was strongest in the 1970s, with GDP peaking in 1981. This trend came from phosphate mining, which accounted for a majority of its economic output. Mining declined starting in

1309-489: Is a 21 km (8.1 sq mi), oval-shaped island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, 55.95 km (34.77 mi) south of the Equator . The island is surrounded by a fringing coral reef , which is exposed at low tide and dotted with pinnacles . The presence of the reef has prevented the establishment of a seaport , although channels in the reef allow small boats access to the island. A fertile coastal strip 150 to 300 m (490 to 980 ft) wide lies inland from

1386-539: Is both head of state and head of government and is dependent on parliamentary confidence to remain president. All 19 parliament seats are elected every three years. The parliament elects the president from its members, and the president appoints a cabinet of five to six members. As a result of a referendum in 2021 , naturalised citizens and their descendants are barred from becoming parliamentarians. Nauru lacks any formal structure for political parties, and candidates typically stand for office as independents; fifteen of

1463-518: Is highly variable and is influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation , with several significant recorded droughts. The temperature on Nauru ranges between 30 and 35 °C (86 and 95 °F) during the day and is quite stable at around 25 °C (77 °F) at night. Streams and rivers do not exist in Nauru. Water is gathered from roof catchment systems or brought to Nauru as ballast on ships returning for loads of phosphate. Fauna

1540-949: Is in use today. The following example of text is from the Bible ( Genesis , 1.1–1.8): Ñaga ã eitsiõk õrig imin, Gott õrig ianweron me eb. Me eitsiõk erig imin ñana bain eat eb, me eko õañan, mi itũr emek animwet ijited, ma Anin Gott õmakamakur animwet ebõk. Me Gott ũge, Enim eaõ, me eaõen. Me Gott ãt iaõ bwo omo, me Gott õekae iaõ mi itũr. Me Gott eij eget iaõ bwa Aran, me eij eget itũr bwa Anũbũmin. Ma antsiemerin ma antsioran ar eken ũrõr adamonit ibũm. Me Gott ũge, Enim tsimine firmament inimaget ebõk, me enim ekae ebõk atsin eat ebõk. Me Gott eririñ firmament, mõ õ ekae ebõk ñea ijõñin firmament atsin eat ebõk ñea itũgain firmament, mõ ũgan. Me Gott eij egen firmament bwe Ianweron. Ma antsiemerin ma antsioran ar eken ũrõr karabũmit ibũm. This text demonstrates

1617-421: Is not apparent before non-low front vowels. Voiceless stops are geminated and nasals also contrast in length. Dental stops / t / and / d / become [ tʃ ] and [ dʒ ] respectively before high front vowels. The approximants become fricatives in "emphatic pronunciation." Nathan (1974) transcribes them as ⟨ j ⟩ and ⟨ w ⟩ but also remarks that they contrast with

SECTION 20

#1732772791042

1694-440: Is small (10.5 × 14 cm), with 65 pages devoted to the glossary and an additional dozen to phrases, arranged alphabetically by the German . Approximately 1650 German words are glossed in Nauruan, often by phrases or synonymous forms. There are some 1300 'unique' Nauruan forms in the glosses, including all those occurring in phrases, ignoring diacritical marks. The accents used there are not common; just one accent (the tilde )

1771-508: Is sparse on the island because of a lack of vegetation and the consequences of phosphate mining. Many indigenous birds have disappeared or become rare owing to the destruction of their habitat. There are about 60 recorded vascular plant species native to the island, none of which are endemic . Coconut farming, mining, and introduced species have seriously disturbed the native vegetation. There are no native land mammals , but there are native insects , land crabs , and birds , including

1848-613: Is very limited. Literally we have got a major unemployment crisis in front of us." The detention centre was re-opened in August 2012. In July 2017, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) upgraded its rating of Nauru's standards of tax transparency. Previously Nauru had been listed alongside fourteen other countries that had failed to show that they could comply with international tax transparency standards and regulations. The OECD subsequently put Nauru through

1925-563: The Australian Government in exchange for hosting the Nauru Regional Processing Centre , a controversial offshore Australian immigration detention facility . As a result of heavy dependence on Australia, some sources have identified Nauru as a client state of Australia. Nauru is a phosphate-rock island with rich deposits near the surface, which allowed easy strip mining operations for over

2002-557: The Germans ended the civil war, and kings were established as rulers of the island. King Auweyida was the most widely known. Christian missionaries from the Gilbert Islands arrived in 1888. The German settlers called the island "Nawodo" or "Onawero". The Germans ruled Nauru for almost three decades. Robert Rasch , a German trader who married a 15-year-old Nauruan girl, was the first administrator, appointed in 1890. Phosphate

2079-465: The Howard government 's Pacific Solution . Nauru operated two detention centres known as State House and Topside for these refugees in exchange for Australian aid. By November 2005, only two refugees remained on Nauru from those first sent there in 2001. The Australian government sent further groups of asylum-seekers to Nauru in late 2006 and early 2007. The refugee centre was closed in 2008, but, following

2156-675: The Pacific Islands Forum in a joint statement with Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and the Federated States of Micronesia after a dispute regarding Henry Puna 's election as the Forum's secretary-general. Nauru has no armed forces , though there is a small police force under civilian control. Australia is responsible for Nauru's defence under an informal agreement between the two countries. The September 2005 memorandum of understanding between Australia and Nauru provides

2233-523: The age of sail visited in 1904. Around this time, deserters from European ships began to live on the island. The islanders traded food for alcoholic palm wine and firearms. The firearms were used during the 10-year Nauruan Civil War that began in 1878. After an agreement with Great Britain , Germany annexed Nauru in 1888 and incorporated it into the Marshall Islands Protectorate for administrative purposes. The arrival of

2310-400: The saga , that the first inhabitants were to have been brought to Earth from two boulders. Nauru itself is symbolised by a white 12-pointed star. The twelve points on the star represent the island's twelve original tribes. The following twelve tribes are: The blue signifies the Pacific Ocean , while the white colour of the star represents phosphate , a former major natural resource of

2387-681: The 19 members of the current parliament are independents. Four parties that have been active in Nauruan politics are the Nauru Party, the Democratic Party , Nauru First and the Centre Party . However, alliances within the government are often formed based on extended family ties rather than party affiliation . From 1992 to 1999, Nauru had a local government system known as the Nauru Island Council (NIC). It

Nauru - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-412: The 1990s, it was possible to establish a licensed bank in Nauru for only US$ 25,000 (US$ 42,040 in 2023) with no other requirements. Under pressure from FATF, Nauru introduced anti-avoidance legislation in 2003, after which foreign hot money left the country. In October 2005, after satisfactory results from the legislation and its enforcement, FATF lifted the non-cooperative designation. From 2001 to 2007,

2541-952: The Australian court's appellate jurisdiction ended entirely on 12 March 2018 after the Government of Nauru unilaterally ended the arrangement. Lower courts consist of the District Court and the Family Court, both of which are headed by a Resident Magistrate, who also is the Registrar of the Supreme Court. There are two other quasi-courts: the Public Service Appeal Board and the Police Appeal Board, both of which are presided over by

2618-569: The Australian government's re-adoption of the Pacific Solution in August 2012, it has re-opened it. Amnesty International has since described the conditions of the refugees of war living in Nauru as a "horror", with reports of children as young as eight attempting suicide and engaging in acts of self-harm. In 2018, the situation gained attention as a "mental health crisis", with an estimated thirty children suffering from traumatic withdrawal syndrome, also known as resignation syndrome . By

2695-938: The Chief Justice. Following independence in 1968, Nauru joined the Commonwealth of Nations as a Special Member; it became a full member in 1999. The country was admitted to the Asian Development Bank in 1991 and the United Nations in 1999. Nauru is a member of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the Pacific Community , and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission . In February 2021, Nauru announced it would be formally withdrawing from

2772-764: The Commonwealth of Nations, and the Asian Development Bank . Nauru also participates in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games . Recently, Nauru became a member country of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The Republic of Nauru became the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund in April 2016. Nauru is a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The president

2849-622: The Nauru detention centre provided a significant source of income for the country. The Nauruan authorities reacted with concern to its closure by Australia. In February 2008, the Foreign Affairs minister , Kieren Keke , stated that the closure would result in 100 Nauruans losing their jobs, and would affect 10% of the island's population directly or indirectly: "We have got a huge number of families that are suddenly going to be without any income. We are looking at ways we can try and provide some welfare assistance but our capacity to do that

2926-584: The Nauruan people did not wish to become Australian citizens and wanted to be given sovereignty over Curtis Island to establish themselves as an independent nation, which Australia would not agree to. Nauru rejected the proposal to move to Curtis Island, instead choosing to become an independent nation operating their mines in Nauru. Nauru became self-governing in January 1966, and following a two-year constitutional convention, it became independent on 31 January 1968 under founding president Hammer DeRoburt . In 1967,

3003-568: The Nauruan word Anáoero , which means 'I go to the beach.' In 1798, the British sea captain John Fearn , on his trading ship Hunter (300 tons), became the first Westerner to report sighting Nauru, calling it "Pleasant Island", because of its attractive appearance. From at least 1826, Nauruans had regular contact with Europeans on whaling and trading ships who called for provisions and fresh drinking water. The last whaler to call during

3080-547: The ROC on 14 May 2005, and diplomatic ties with the PRC were officially severed on 31 May 2005. On 15 Jan 2024, Nauru severed ties with the ROC and re-established diplomatic ties with the PRC. In 2008, Nauru recognised Kosovo as an independent country , and in 2009 Nauru became the fourth country, after Russia , Nicaragua , and Venezuela , to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia , two breakaway autonomous republics of Georgia . Russia

3157-687: The Republic of China or ROC) and China (officially the People's Republic of China or PRC) by changing its recognition from one to the other under the One-China policy . On 21 July 2002, Nauru signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC , accepting US$ 130 million from the PRC for this action (US$ 211 million in 2023). In response, the ROC severed diplomatic relations with Nauru two days later. Nauru later re-established links with

Nauru - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-543: The administration has a strong public mandate to implement economic reforms, in the absence of an alternative to phosphate mining, the medium-term outlook is for continued dependence on external assistance. Tourism is not a major contributor to the economy. In the 1990s, Nauru became a tax haven and offered passports to foreign nationals for a fee. The inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) identified Nauru as one of 15 " non-cooperative " countries in its fight against money laundering. During

3311-421: The allophony in the following table from Nathan (1974) , a number of vowels reduce to [ə] : Non-open vowels (that is, all but /aa/, /a/, /ɑɑ/ /ɑ/ ) become non-syllabic when preceding another vowel, as in /e-oeeoun/ → [ɛ̃õ̯ɛ̃õ̯ʊn] ('hide'). Stress is on the penultimate syllable when the final syllable ends in a vowel, on the last syllable when it ends in a consonant, and initial with reduplications. In

3388-521: The basic functions of government; for example, the National Bank of Nauru is insolvent. The CIA World Factbook estimated a GDP per capita of US$ 5,000 in 2005. The Asian Development Bank 2007 economic report on Nauru estimated GDP per capita at US$ 2,400 to US$ 2,715. There are no personal taxes in Nauru. The unemployment rate is estimated to be 23% and the government employs 95% of those who have jobs. The Asian Development Bank notes that, although

3465-485: The beach. Coral cliffs surround Nauru's central plateau. The highest point of the plateau, called the Command Ridge , is 71 m (233 ft) above sea level. The only fertile areas on Nauru are on the narrow coastal belt, where coconut palms flourish. The land around Buada Lagoon supports bananas , pineapples , vegetables , pandanus trees , and indigenous hardwoods , such as the tamanu tree . Nauru

3542-535: The characters "õ" and "ũ" were replaced by "ô" and "û". The "ã" was replaced with "e". Also, "y" was introduced in order to differentiate words with the English "j" ( puji ). Thus, words like ijeiji were changed to iyeyi . In addition, "ñ" (which represented the velar nasal ) was replaced with "ng", to avoid confusion with the Spanish Ñ . "bu" and "qu" were replaced with "bw" and "kw", respectively. "ts"

3619-452: The dialects blended into a standardized language, which was promoted through dictionaries and translations by Alois Kayser and Philip Delaporte . Today there is significantly less dialectal variation. In the district of Yaren and the surrounding area there is an eponymous dialect spoken, which is only slightly different from other varieties. In 1907, Philip Delaporte published his pocket German-Nauruan dictionary . [1] The dictionary

3696-609: The early 1980s. There are few other resources, and most necessities are imported. Small-scale mining is still conducted by RONPhos, formerly known as the Nauru Phosphate Corporation. The government places a percentage of RONPhos's earnings into the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust . The trust manages long-term investments, which were intended to support the citizens after the phosphate reserves were exhausted. Because of mismanagement,

3773-534: The early 20th century, with a mortality rate of 18 per cent among native Nauruans. In 1923, the League of Nations gave Australia a trustee mandate over Nauru, with the United Kingdom and New Zealand as co-trustees. On 6 and 7 December 1940, the German auxiliary cruisers Komet and Orion sank five supply ships in the vicinity of Nauru. Komet then shelled Nauru's phosphate mining areas, oil storage depots, and

3850-644: The east. It lies northwest of Tuvalu , 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast of the Solomon Islands , east-northeast of Papua New Guinea , southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands . With an area of only 21 km (8.1 sq mi), Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco , making it the smallest republic and island nation, as well as

3927-418: The endemic Nauru reed warbler . The Polynesian rat , cats, dogs, pigs, and chickens have been introduced to Nauru from ships . The diversity of the reef marine life makes fishing a popular activity for tourists on the island; also popular are scuba diving and snorkelling . The president of Nauru is David Adeang , who heads a 19-member unicameral parliament . The country is a member of the United Nations,

SECTION 50

#1732772791042

4004-534: The environmental damage caused by phosphate mining. Certain Phosphate Lands: Nauru v. Australia led to an out-of-court settlement to rehabilitate the mined-out areas of Nauru. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , a state of emergency was declared in Nauru on 17 March 2020 . The declaration to minimize the outbreak was signed by President Lionel Aingimea during a period of 30 days. Nauru

4081-533: The government-owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation. The Catholics are pastorally served by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarawa and Nauru , with see at Tarawa in Kiribati. Nauruan language Nauruan has 16–17 consonant phonemes . Nauruan makes phonemic contrasts between velarized and palatalized labial consonants. Velarization is not apparent before long back vowels and palatalization

4158-530: The island is Christianity : the main denominations are Nauru Congregational Church (35.71%), Catholic Church (32.96%), Assemblies of God (12.98%), and Baptist (1.48%). The Constitution provides for freedom of religion . However, the government has restricted the religious practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Jehovah's Witnesses , most of whom are foreign workers employed by

4235-495: The land on Curtis Island (which was considerably larger than Nauru) and then offer the Nauruans freehold title over the island and that the Nauruans would become Australian citizens . The cost of resettling the Nauruans on Curtis Island was estimated to be £ 10 million ( A$ 649 million in 2022), which included housing and infrastructure and the establishment of pastoral , agricultural , and fishing industries. However,

4312-498: The landscape so much that it was thought the island would be uninhabitable by the 1990s. Rehabilitating the island was seen as financially impossible. In 1962, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies said that the three countries involved in the mining had an obligation to provide a solution for the Nauruan people, and proposed finding a new island for them. In 1963, the Australian Government proposed to acquire all

4389-454: The latter with financial aid and technical assistance, including a Secretary of Finance to prepare the budget, and advisers on health and education. This aid is in return for Nauru's housing of asylum seekers while their applications for entry into Australia are processed. Nauru uses the Australian dollar as its official currency. Nauru has used its position as a member of the United Nations to gain financial support from both Taiwan (officially

4466-690: The main islands of Japan, Nauru was bypassed and left to "wither on the vine". Nauru was finally taken back from the Japanese on 13 September 1945, when commander Hisayaki Soeda surrendered the island to the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Navy . The surrender was accepted by Brigadier J. R. Stevenson , who represented Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee , the commander of the First Australian Army, aboard

4543-440: The middle of 2023, the camp was finally totally emptied for the first time since it opened, with 4183 people having being detained there since it opened in 2012. In 2024 a few dozen refugees were again being held there while their claims are being processed. Nauru is divided into fourteen administrative districts, which are grouped into eight electoral constituencies and are further divided into villages. The most populous district

4620-514: The non-syllabic allophones of the high vowels. / w / can also be heard as a fricative [ ɣʷ ] . Depending on stress, / r / may be a flap or a trill. The precise phonetic nature of / rʲ / is unknown. Nathan (1974) transcribes it as ⟨ r̵ ⟩ and speculates that it may pattern like palatalized consonants and be partially devoiced. Between a vowel and word-final / mˠ / , an epenthetic [ b ] appears. There are 12 phonemic vowels (six long, six short). In addition to

4697-500: The original writing system for Nauruan, 17 letters were used: The letters c, f, h, l, s, v, x, y, and z were not included. With the growing influence of foreign languages, in particular German , English , Gilbertese , and part of the Pama-Nyungan family , more letters were incorporated into the Nauruan alphabet. In addition, phonetic differences of a few vowels arose, so that umlauts and other similar sounds were indicated with

SECTION 60

#1732772791042

4774-637: The people of Nauru purchased the assets of the British Phosphate Commissioners, and in June 1970, control passed to the locally owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC). Income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. In 1989, Nauru took legal action against Australia in the International Court of Justice over Australia's administration of the island, in particular, Australia's failure to remedy

4851-663: The place of "ts", certain spellings still use "ts": e.g., the districts Baiti and Ijuw (according to the reform Beiji and Iyu ) are still written with the old writing conventions. The "y" has become generally accepted. Today the following 30 Latin letters are used. The relationship of the above letters and phonemes is: a [ɑ/a], ã [ɛ], e [e/e̞/ɛ], i [i/ɪ/ɨ], o [o/ɔ], õ [ø], u [ʊ/ʉ], ũ [y], b [b], bw [b͡w], c [k/s], d [d], di [ʤi], f [f], g [g], gw [g͡w], h [h], j [ʤ̊], k [k], kw [k͡w], nng [ŋː], l [l], m [m], n [n], ñ [ŋ], p [p], qu [k͡w], r [ɾ/r], s [s], t [t], ti [ʧi], ts [ʤ̊], v [f/v], w [w/ɣ], x [k͡s], y [j/ʝ], z [z]. According to

4928-477: The shiploading cantilever. Japanese troops occupied Nauru on 25 August 1942. The Japanese built 2 airfields which were bombed for the first time on 25 March 1943, preventing food supplies from being flown to Nauru. The Japanese deported 1,200 Nauruans to work as labourers in the Chuuk Islands , which was also occupied by Japan. As part of the Allied strategy of island hopping from the Pacific islands towards

5005-402: The smallest member state of the Commonwealth of Nations by area. Its population of about 10,800 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 . Settled by Micronesians circa 1000 BCE , Nauru was annexed and claimed as

5082-424: The surrounding exclusive economic zone ; 40% of marine life is estimated to have been killed by silt and phosphate runoff. The island has no rivers, and there is no inflow or outflow from the Buada Lagoon; it is an endorheic basin . Nauru's climate is hot and very humid year-round because of its proximity to the equator and the ocean. Nauru is hit by monsoon rains between November and February. Annual rainfall

5159-410: The trust's fixed and current assets were reduced considerably and may never fully recover. The failed investments included financing Leonardo the Musical in 1993. The Mercure Hotel in Sydney , Australia and Nauru House in Melbourne , Australia were sold in 2004 to finance debts and Air Nauru 's only Boeing 737 was repossessed in December 2005. Normal air service resumed after the aircraft

5236-442: The twelve-pointed star on the country's flag . Traditionally, Nauruans traced their descent matrilineally . Inhabitants practised aquaculture : they caught juvenile milkfish (known as Ibija in Nauruan ), acclimatised them to freshwater, and raised them in Buada Lagoon , providing a reliable food source. The other locally grown components of their diet included coconuts and pandanus fruit . The name "Nauru" may derive from

5313-407: The warship HMAS Diamantina . Arrangements were made to repatriate from Chuuk the 745 Nauruans who survived Japanese captivity there. They were returned to Nauru by the BPC ship Trienza in January 1946. In 1947, a trusteeship was established by the United Nations, with Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom as trustees. Under those arrangements, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand were

5390-424: The wounds were "accidentally received." The governments of the Soviet Union and China made official complaints against Australia at the United Nations over this incident. In 1964, it was proposed to relocate the population of Nauru to Curtis Island off the coast of Queensland , Australia. By that time, Nauru had been extensively mined for phosphate by companies from Australia, Britain, and New Zealand, damaging

5467-473: Was a successor to the Nauru Local Government Council , established in 1951. This nine-member council was designed to provide municipal services. The NIC was dissolved in 1999 and all assets and liabilities became vested in the national government. Land tenure on Nauru is unusual: all Nauruans have certain rights to all land on the island, which is owned by individuals and family groups. Government and corporate entities do not own any land, and they must enter into

5544-480: Was discovered on Nauru in 1900 by the prospector Albert Fuller Ellis . The Pacific Phosphate Company began to exploit the reserves in 1906 by agreement with Germany, exporting its first shipment in 1907. In 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, Nauru was captured by Australian troops. In 1919, it was agreed by the Allied and Associated Powers that His Britannic Majesty should be the administering authority under

5621-480: Was motivated by significant layoffs in phosphate mining. Nauru is one of the most densely populated Westernized countries in the South Pacific. The official languages of Nauru are Nauruan and English . Nauruan is a distinct Micronesian language , which is spoken by 96% of ethnic Nauruans at home. English is widely spoken and is the language of government and commerce. The main religion practised on

5698-602: Was one of three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean, along with Banaba (Ocean Island) , in Kiribati, and Makatea , in French Polynesia . The phosphate reserves on Nauru are now almost entirely depleted. Phosphate mining in the central plateau has left a barren terrain of jagged limestone pinnacles up to 15 m (49 ft) high. Mining has stripped and devastated about 80 per cent of Nauru's land area, leaving it uninhabitable and has also affected

5775-449: Was replaced with "j" (since it represented a sound similar to the English "j"); and the "w" written at the end of words was dropped. These reforms were only partly carried out: the symbols "õ" and "ũ" are still written as such, with tildes. However, the letters "ã" and "ñ" are now only seldom used, being replaced with "e" and "ng", as prescribed by the reform. Likewise, use of the digraphs "bw" and "kw" has been implemented. Although "j" took

5852-494: Was replaced with a Boeing 737-300 airliner in June 2006. In 2005, the corporation sold its remaining real estate in Melbourne, the vacant Savoy Tavern site, for A$ 7.5 million (US$ 11.2 million in 2023). The value of the trust is estimated to have shrunk from A$ 1.3 billion in 1991 to A$ 138 million in 2002 (A$ 2.79 billion to A$ 229 million in 2022 dollars). Nauru currently lacks money to perform many of

5929-485: Was reported to be giving Nauru US$ 50 million in humanitarian aid as a result of this recognition (US$ 69.5 million in 2023). On 15 July 2008, the Nauruan government announced a port refurbishment programme, financed with US$ 9 million of development aid received from Russia (US$ 12.5 million in 2023). The Nauru government claimed this aid is not related to its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program operates

#41958