Nauru

Lore & Background

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 occupied by Australia during World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia with New Zealand and United Kingdom as co-trustees. Nauru was occupied by Japan for three years during World War II and became a United Nations trust territory after the war's end. Nauru gained its independence from Australia in 1968. At various points since 2001, it has accepted aid from 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 an Australian client state. Nauru is a phosphate-rock island with rich deposits near the surface, as a result of which most of its interior was profitably, but destructively strip-mined for about a century starting in 1900. The island's viable phosphate reserves were exhausted in the 1990s and, in a classic example of the resource curse, mismanagement of the island's accumulated mining wealth resulted in serious financial troubles through the 2000s. Nauru's economy gradually recovered in the 2010s.

In Their Own Story

Morning light spills over the turquoise lagoon, gilding the still waters of Buada Lagoon. Along the island's single coastal road, an elder pauses to watch fishing boats cut through the surf. Behind him lies a silence that speaks volumes: the interior is a ghost forest of white limestone pinnacles, jagged teeth jutting from the earth where lush vegetation once thrived. The wind carries salt and blooming hibiscus, momentarily masking the memory of the heavy machinery that devoured this land for nearly a century. Here, on a speck of coral barely 21 square kilometers wide, life persists with quiet resilience, anchored by the tides and the enduring bonds of the twelve tribes.

Reader's Guide

Nauru's name in the Nauruan language is Naoero. The etymology of the island's name is uncertain. German ethnologist Paul Hambruch speculated that Nauru was a contraction of a Nauruan phrase a-nuau-a-a-ororo, supposedly meaning 'I go to the beach'. Hambruch's theory was included in the Deutsches Kolonial-Lexikon of 1920, but linguist Alois Kayser later stated that this sentence was ungrammatical in Nauruan and an example of a folk etymology. Early spellings used during the colonial period included Naura, Nauru, Nawodo and Onawero. When a German protectorate was proclaimed in 1888, Nauru was adopted as the official name in the Reichskommissar's report, subsequently becoming the standard spelling in both English and German. The island had previously been known in English as Pleasant Island. On independence in 1968, the Constitution of Nauru designated 'Republic of Nauru' as the official English name. In May 2026, a constitutional amendment was passed to change the official English name to 'Republic of Naoero', matching the spelling in the Nauruan language. On 26 June 2026, Nauru informed the United Nations that it had changed its official name to the Republic of Naoero.

Did You Know?

• Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world by area and population.
• The island's name in Nauruan is Naoero, and its etymology is uncertain.
• Nauru was first settled by Micronesians circa 1000 BCE.
• Phosphate was discovered on Nauru in 1900, leading to extensive strip-mining.
• Nauru gained independence from Australia in 1968.