Nauru is aphosphate-rock island with rich deposits near the surface, which allowed easystrip mining operations for over a century. However, this has seriously harmed the country's environment, causing it to suffer from what is often referred to as the "resource curse". Thephosphate was exhausted in the 1990s, and the remaining reserves are not economically viable for extraction.[19] Atrust 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 atax haven and illegalmoney laundering centre.[20]
Nauru was first settled by Micronesians at least 3,000 years ago, and there is evidence of possiblePolynesian influence.[21] Comparatively little is known of Nauruan prehistory,[22] although the island is believed to have had a long period of isolation, which accounts for the distinct language that developed among the inhabitants.[23] There were traditionally twelve clans or tribes on Nauru, which are represented in the twelve-pointed star on thecountry's flag.[24] Traditionally,Nauruans traced their descentmatrilineally. Inhabitants practisedaquaculture: they caught juvenilemilkfish (known asibija inNauruan),acclimatised them to freshwater, and raised them inBuada Lagoon, providing a reliable food source. The other locally grown components of their diet includedcoconuts andpandanus fruit.[25][26] The name "Nauru" may derive from the Nauruan wordAnáoero, which means 'I go to the beach.'[27]
In 1798, theBritish sea captainJohn Fearn, on his trading shipHunter (300 tons), became the first Westerner to report sighting Nauru, calling it "Pleasant Island" because of its attractive appearance.[28][29] From at least 1826, Nauruans had regular contact with Europeans on whaling and trading ships who called for provisions and fresh drinking water. The lastwhaler to call during theAge of Sail visited in 1904.[30]
Around this time,deserters from European ships began to live on the island. The islanders traded food for alcoholicpalm wine and firearms.[31] The firearms were used during the 10-yearNauruan Civil War that began in 1878.[32]
After anagreement with Great Britain, Germany annexed Nauru in 1888 and incorporated it into the Marshall Islands Protectorate for administrative purposes.[33][34] The arrival of theGermans ended the civil war, and kings were established as rulers of the island. KingAuweyida was the most widely known. Christian missionaries from theGilbert Islands arrived in 1888.[35][36] The German settlers called the island "Nawodo" or "Onawero".[37] 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.[35]
Phosphate was discovered on Nauru in 1900 by the prospectorAlbert Fuller Ellis.[34][29] The Pacific Phosphate Company began to exploit the reserves in 1906 by agreement with Germany, exporting its first shipment in 1907.[28][38] In 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, Nauru was captured by Australian troops. In 1919, it was agreed by theAllied and Associated Powers thatGeorge V of the United Kingdom should be the administering authority under a League of Nations mandate. The Nauru Island Agreement forged in 1919 among 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 intergovernmentalBritish Phosphate Commission (BPC).[33][39] The terms of theLeague of Nations mandate were drawn up in 1920.[33]
The island experienced aninfluenza epidemic and ongoing colonial strife through the early 20th century, with a mortality rate of 18 per cent among native Nauruans.[40] In 1923, the League of Nations gave Australia a trustee mandate over Nauru, with the United Kingdom and New Zealand as co-trustees.[41] On 6 and 7 December 1940, the German auxiliary cruisersKomet andOrionsank five supply ships in the vicinity of Nauru.Komet then shelled Nauru's phosphate mining areas, oil storage depots, and the shiploading cantilever.[42][43][44]
Japanese troops occupied Nauru on 25 August 1942.[43] The Japanese built two airfields which were bombed for the first time on 25 March 1943, preventing food supplies from being flown to Nauru.[46] The Japanese deported 1,200 Nauruans to work as labourers in theChuuk Islands,[45] which were also occupied by Japan. Nauru was finally taken back from the Japanese on 13 September 1945, when commander Hisayaki Soeda surrendered the island to the Australian Army and theRoyal Australian Navy.[47] The surrender was accepted byBrigadierJ. R. Stevenson, who representedLieutenant GeneralVernon Sturdee, the commander of the First Australian Army, aboard the warshipHMASDiamantina.[48][49][50] Arrangements were made to repatriate from Chuuk the 745 Nauruans who survived Japanese captivity there.[51] They were returned to Nauru by the BPC shipTrienza in January 1946.[52]
In 1947, a trusteeship was established by the United Nations, with Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom as trustees.[53] Under those arrangements, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand were 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.[33] In practice, administrative power was exercised by Australia alone.[33]
The1948 Nauru riots occurred when Chineseguano mining workers went on strike over pay and conditions. The Australian administration imposed astate of emergency withNative Police and armed volunteers of locals and Australian officials being mobilised. This force, usingsub-machine guns and other firearms, opened fire on the Chinese workers, killing two and wounding sixteen. Around 50 of the workers were arrested; two of them were bayoneted to death while in custody. The trooper who bayoneted the prisoners was charged but later acquitted on grounds that the wounds were "accidentally received."[54][55] The governments of theSoviet Union andChina made official complaints against Australia at the United Nations over this incident.[56]
A satellite image of Nauru, 2002
In 1964, it was proposed to relocate the population of Nauru toCurtis Island off the coast ofQueensland, Australia. By that time, Nauru had been extensively mined for phosphate by companies from Australia, Britain, and New Zealand, damaging 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 MinisterRobert 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 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 becomeAustralian citizens.[57][58] The cost of resettling the Nauruans on Curtis Island was estimated to be£10 million (A$649 million in 2022[59]), which included housing and infrastructure and the establishment ofpastoral,agricultural, andfishing industries.[60] However, 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; Australia would not agree.[61] Nauru chose instead to become an independent nation operating its own mines in Nauru.[62]
Nauru became self-governing in January 1966, and following a two-year constitutional convention, it became independent on 31 January 1968 under founding presidentHammer DeRoburt.[63] In 1967, the people of Nauru purchased the assets of the British Phosphate Commissioners, and in June 1970, control passed to the locally ownedNauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC).[38] Income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world.[64][65] In 1989, Nauru took legal action against Australia in theInternational Court of Justice over Australia's administration of the island, particularly Australia's failure to remedy 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.[53][66]
Nauru is a 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi),[4] oval-shaped island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The island is surrounded by afringing coral reef, which is exposed at low tide and dotted withpinnacles.[5] The presence of thereef has prevented the establishment of aseaport, although channels in the reef allow small boats access to the island.[68] A fertile coastal strip 150 to 300 m (490 to 980 ft) wide lies inland from the beach.[5]
Coastal beach area of Nauru, with its distinctive natural coral pillarsBuada Lagoon
Coral cliffs surround Nauru's central plateau. The highest point of the plateau,Command Ridge, is 71 m (233 ft) above sea level.[69]
Nauru was one of three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean, along withBanaba (Ocean Island), in Kiribati, andMakatea, inFrench 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,[65] and has also affected the surroundingexclusive economic zone; Forty per cent of marine life is estimated to have been killed bysilt and phosphate runoff.[5][70]
The island has no rivers,[71] and there is no inflow or outflow from Buada Lagoon, anendorheic basin.
Nauru's climate is hot and very humid year-round because of its proximity to the equator and the ocean. Nauru is hit bymonsoon rains between November and February. Annual rainfall is highly variable and is influenced by theEl Niño–Southern Oscillation, with several significant recorded droughts.[21][72] The temperature on Nauru ranges between 30 and 35 °C (86 and 95 °F) during the day and is stable at around 25 °C (77 °F) at night.[73]
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.[74]
Fauna is sparse on the island because of a lack of vegetation and the consequences of phosphate mining. Manyindigenous birds have disappeared or become rare owing to the destruction of their habitat.[75] There are about 60 recordedvascular plant species native to the island, none of which areendemic. Coconut farming, mining, and introduced species have seriously disturbed the native vegetation.[21]
Nauru is a republic with aparliamentary system of government.[63] The president is bothhead of state andhead of government and is dependent on parliamentary confidence to remain president. All 19 parliament seats are elected every three years.[77] The parliament elects the president from its members, and the president appoints acabinet of five to six members.[78] As a result of areferendum 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 the 19 members of the current parliament are independents. Four parties that have been active in Nauruan politics are the Nauru Party, theDemocratic Party,Nauru First and theCentre Party. However, alliances within the government are often formed based onextended family ties rather than party affiliation.[79]
From 1992 to 1999, Nauru had a local government system known as the Nauru Island Council (NIC).[80] It was a successor to theNauru Local Government Council, established in 1951.[81] 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.[80]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 a lease arrangement with landowners to use land. Non-Nauruans cannot own land on the island.[21]
Nauru'sSupreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice, is paramount onconstitutional issues. Other cases can be appealed to thetwo-judge Appellate Court. Parliament cannot overturn court decisions. Historically, Appellate Court rulings could be appealed to theHigh Court of Australia,[82][83] though this happened only rarely and the Australian court's appellate jurisdiction ended entirely on 12 March 2018 after the Government of Nauru unilaterally ended the arrangement.[84][85][86] 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 the Chief Justice.[5]
Following independence in 1968, Nauru joined the Commonwealth of Nations as a Special Member; it became a full member in 1999.[87] The country was admitted to the Asian Development Bank in 1991 and the United Nations in 1999.[88] Nauru is a member of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, thePacific Community, and theSouth Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission.[89] In February 2021, Nauru announced it would be formally withdrawing from thePacific Islands Forum in a joint statement with Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and the Federated States of Micronesia after a dispute regardingHenry Puna's election as the Forum's secretary-general.[90][91]
Nauruan police cadets undergoing training. Nauruhas no armed forces, though there is a small police force under civilian control.
Nauru hasno armed forces, though there is a smallpolice force under civilian control.[4] Australia is responsible for Nauru's defence under an informal agreement between the two countries.[4] The September 2005memorandum of understanding between Australia and Nauru provides 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.[92] Nauru uses the Australian dollar as its official currency.[5]
Nauru has used its position as a member of the United Nations to gain financial support from bothTaiwan (officially the Republic of China or ROC) andChina (officially the People's Republic of China or PRC) by changing its recognition from one to the other under theOne-China policy. On 21 July 2002,Nauru signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC, acceptingUS$130 million from the PRC for this action[93] (US$216 million in 2024[94]). In response, theROC severed diplomatic relations with Nauru two days later. Nauru later re-established links with the ROC on 14 May 2005,[95] and diplomatic ties with the PRC were officially severed on 31 May 2005.[96] On 15 Jan 2024, Nauru severed ties with the ROC and re-established diplomatic ties with the PRC.[97]
In 2008,Nauru recognised Kosovo as an independent country, and in 2009 Nauru became the fourth country, afterRussia,Nicaragua, andVenezuela, to recogniseAbkhazia andSouth Ossetia, two breakaway autonomous republics ofGeorgia. Russia was reported to be giving Nauru US$50 million in humanitarian aid as a result of this recognition[93] (US$71.3 million in 2024[94]). On 15 July 2008, the Nauruan government announced a port refurbishment programme, financed with US$9 million of development aid received from Russia (US$12.8 million in 2024[94]). The Nauru government claimed this aid is not related to its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[98]
A significant portion of Nauru's income has been in the form of aid from Australia. In 2001, theMVTampa, aNorwegian ship that had rescued 438 refugees from a stranded boat, was seeking to dock in Australia. In what became known astheTampa affair, the ship was refused entry and boarded byAustralian troops. The refugees were eventually taken to Nauru to be held in detention facilities which later became part of theHoward government'sPacific Solution. Nauru operated two detention centres known as State House and Topside for these refugees in exchange for Australian aid.[100] By November 2005, only two refugees remained on Nauru from those first sent there in 2001.[101] The Australian government sent further groups of asylum-seekers to Nauru in late 2006 and early 2007.[102] The refugee centre was closed in 2008,[5] but, following the Australian government's re-adoption of the Pacific Solution in August 2012, it has re-opened it.[103]Amnesty International has since described the conditions of the refugees of war living in Nauru as a "horror",[104][105] with reports of children as young as eight attemptingsuicide and engaging in acts of self-harm.[106] In 2018, the situation gained attention as a "mental health crisis", with an estimated thirty children suffering from traumatic withdrawal syndrome, also known asresignation syndrome.[106][107] By the middle of 2023, the camp was finally totally emptied for the first time since it opened, with 4183 people having been detained there since it opened in 2012.[108] In 2024 a few dozen refugees were again being held there while their claims are being processed.[109]
Nauru is divided into fourteen administrative districts, which are grouped intoeight electoral constituencies and are further divided into villages.[5][4] The most populous district isDenigomodu, 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.[110]
Before a resurgence in the 2010s, the Nauruan economy was strongest in the 1970s, withGDP peaking in 1981.[111][112] This trend came from phosphate mining, which accounted for a majority of its economic output. Mining declined starting in the early 1980s.[113]: 5 [114] There are few other resources, and most necessities are imported.[5][115] Small-scale mining is still conducted by RONPhos, formerly known as the Nauru Phosphate Corporation.[5] The government places a percentage of RONPhos's earnings into theNauru Phosphate Royalties Trust. The trust manages long-term investments, which were intended to support the citizens after the phosphate reserves were exhausted.[116]
Because of mismanagement, the trust's fixed andcurrent assets were reduced considerably and may never fully recover. The failed investments included financingLeonardo the Musical in 1993.[117] The Mercure Hotel inSydney, Australia,[118] andNauru House inMelbourne, Australia, were sold in 2004 to finance debts andAir Nauru's onlyBoeing 737 was repossessed in December 2005. Normal air service resumed after the aircraft was replaced with aBoeing 737-300 airliner in June 2006.[119] In 2005, the corporation sold its remaining real estate in Melbourne, the vacant Savoy Tavern site, for A$7.5 million[120] (US$11.5 million in 2024[94]).
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[59]).[121] Nauru currently lacks money to perform many of the basic functions of government; for example, the National Bank of Nauru is insolvent. TheCIA World Factbook estimated aGDP per capita of US$5,000 in 2005.[4] The Asian Development Bank 2007 economic report on Nauru estimated GDP per capita at US$2,400 to US$2,715.[113]
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.[4][122] The Asian Development Bank notes that, although 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.[121]Tourism is not a major contributor to the economy.[123]
Limestone pinnacles remain after phosphate mining at the site of one of Nauru's secondary mines
In the 1990s, Nauru became a tax haven and offeredpassports to foreign nationals for a fee.[124] The inter-governmentalFinancial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) identified Nauru as one of 15 "non-cooperative" countries in its fight against money laundering. During the 1990s, it was possible to establish a licensed bank in Nauru for only US$25,000[124] (US$43,144 in 2024[94]) with no other requirements. Under pressure from FATF, Nauru introduced anti-avoidance legislation in 2003, after which foreignhot money left the country. In October 2005, after satisfactory results from the legislation and its enforcement, FATF lifted the non-cooperative designation.[125]
From 2001 to 2007, the Nauru detention centre provided a significant source of income for the country. Nauruan authorities reacted with concern to its closure by Australia.[126] In February 2008,Foreign Affairs MinisterKieren 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 is very limited. Literally we have got a major unemployment crisis in front of us."[127] The detention centre was re-opened in August 2012.[103]
In July 2017, theOrganisation 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 a fast-tracked compliance process and the country was given a "largely compliant" rating.[128]
The Nauru 2017–2018 budget, delivered byMinister of FinanceDavid 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.[129] In 2018, the Nauru government partnered with thedeep sea mining company DeepGreen, now Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CanadianThe Metals Company.[130] They planned to harvestmanganese nodules whose minerals and metals can be used in the development ofsustainable energy technology.[131][132][133]
In March 2025, Nauru announced a "golden passport" initiative with the aim of raising money to relocate 90% of the island's population to a new community on higher ground. Citizenship will cost a minimum of $105,000 and does not require residency.[134]
Nauru had 12,511 residents as of July 2021.[7][8] 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 was motivated by significantlayoffs in phosphate mining.[113]
Nauru is one of the most densely populatedWesternized countries in the South Pacific.[135]
The official languages of Nauru areNauruan andEnglish. Nauruan[2] is a distinctMicronesian language, which is spoken by 96% of ethnic Nauruans at home.[113] English is widely spoken and is the language of government and commerce.[4][5]
Literacy on Nauru is 96%. Education is compulsory for children from six to sixteen years old, and two more non-compulsory years are offered (years 11 and 12).[137] The island has three primary schools and two secondary schools. The secondary schools areNauru Secondary School and Nauru College.[138] There is a campus of theUniversity of the South Pacific on Nauru. Before this campus was built in 1987, students would study either by distance or abroad.[139] Since 2011, theUniversity of New England, Australia has established a presence on the island with around 30 Nauruan teachers studying for an associate degree in education. These students will continue on to the degree to complete their studies.[140] This project is led by Associate Professor Pep Serow and funded by theAustralian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The previous community public library was destroyed in a fire. As of 1999[update], a new one had not yet been built, and nobookmobile services were available as of that year. Sites with libraries include the University of the South Pacific campus, Nauru Secondary, Kayser College, and Aiwo Primary.[141] The Nauru Community Library is in the new University of the South Pacific Nauru Campus building, which was officially opened in May 2018.
Nauru has one of the highest child mortality rates in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) region at 2.9% in 2020, according to aUNICEF study.[143]
Life expectancy in Nauru in 2009 was 60.6 years for males and 68.0 years for females.[144]
The island has about 30 km (18 miles) of road, and it has about 4 km of railway that was built for mining use a century ago.[71] Nauru is accessible by sea via theNauru International Port. The modernization and expansion project of the former Aiwo Boat Harbor was expected to be completed in 2021 but has been delayed due to technical and logistics issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[151][152]
Roughly 80% of Nauru has been decimated by strip mining.
The effects of phosphate mining in Nauru have had significant negative impacts on the island's environment and economy.[153] One of the most prominent effects of thephosphate mining in Nauru is the extensive environmental degradation that has occurred as a result of the extraction of phosphates.[154] Large areas of the island have been stripped of vegetation and topsoil, leaving behind barren landscapes that are prone to erosion and degradation.[155] The mining activities have also caused significant disruption to the island's ecosystem, leading to a decline in biodiversity and the extinction of several plant and animal species.[156]
The mining in Nauru has also had profound social and health consequences for the country.[157] The reliance on phosphate mining as the main source of income has made Nauru extremely vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices, leading to economic instability and uncertainty.[158] The depletion of the phosphate deposits has also left the country with limited options for sustainable economic development, as the once fertile land is now unusable for agriculture or other purposes. This has resulted in high levels of unemployment and poverty among the population,[159] further exacerbating social issues such ascrime and substance abuse.
Historically, Indigenous Nauruans kept household gardens that provided much of the food that they needed throughsubsistence farming, with the most common food plants including coconuts,breadfruit, bananas,pandanus,papaya, andguavas.[160] Because of the large immigrant population that worked in the phosphate mines, many types of fruits and vegetables were grown that were staples in those countries as well.[160] The soil in Nauru was very rich on what citizens call the "Topside", the raised phosphate plateau where the phosphate is mined from, and it was extremely fertile.[160] However, the area where most Nauruans live now, on the coastal ring on the island that has not been mined, the soil quality is among the poorest in the world, as it is shallow, alkaline, and has the coarse texture of the coral that surrounds it.[161][160][162] In 2011, just 13% of households maintained a garden or were involved in growing crops.[163] Most of the soil that was on Nauru is now gone because of phosphate-mining activities, leaving people to import the soil that they need.[161][160] Ethnobotanical studies have indicated that the reduction in the types of plants that can be grown due to phosphate mining has significantly affected the connection that Indigenous Nauruans feel to the land, as plants are a large part of their cultural identity and have many uses in their lives, with each plant having an average of seven uses in Pacific Island cultures.[160]
For Nauru residents today, all food must also be imported because of the loss of 90% of arable land due to phosphate mining, leaving people with a diet of mainly processed foods, such as rice and sugar.[164] Though residents are trying to salvage the soil that they can, some researchers speculate that there will be no regeneration of soils even after the mining ceases.[161] The country's dependence on processed and imported foods along with "cultural, historical, and social factors" have greatly affected the health of its citizens.[165] Despite having all food imported, the Household and Income Expenditure Survey (HIES) conducted for the year of 2012–2013 found that Nauruans have a food poverty incidence rate of 0, based on the Food Poverty Line (FPL) which "includes a daily intake of 2,100 calories per adult per day."[165]
While the HIES found that Nauru is doing well in terms of food poverty, 24% of the population and 16.8% of households are below the basic needs (clothing, shelter, education, transport, communication, water, sanitation and health services) poverty line.[165] This is the worst poverty index of all Pacific nations.[165] In 2017, half of Nauruans were living on US$9,000 a year (approx. A$11,700 a year). Water resources are extremely limited, with the island supplying enough for 32 liters of freshwater per person per day despite theWHO's recommendation of 50 liters per person per day.[166] Much of the groundwater has been contaminated by mining runoff, toilets, and dumping of other commercial and household wastes, causing Nauruans to rely on imported water, the price of which can vary as it is closely tied to fuel prices for its delivery, and rainfall storage.[166][143] Access to sanitation facilities is restricted with just 66% of residents having access to reliable toilets, andopen defecation is still practiced by 3% of the population.[143] Schools are frequently forced to close because they do not have reliable toilets or drinking water for students to use.[143] There is a long-standingtruancy problem, and accessibility of education for refugee and asylum-seeking children, as well as for disabled children, remain areas of concern for Nauru's education sector.[143]
Angam Day, held on 26 October, celebrates the recovery of the Nauruan population after the two world wars and the1920 influenza epidemic.[167] Colonial and contemporary Western influence has largely displaced the indigenous culture.[168] Few older customs have been preserved, but some forms of traditional music, arts and crafts, and fishing are still practised.[169]
Nauruan folk songs existed as of 1970;[170] "Oh Bwio Eben Bwio" remains a noticeable folk song.[171] Rhythmic singing and traditionalreigen[n 1] are performed particularly at celebrations. A historical form of a Nauruan dance called "fish dance" in English was recorded in a form of photographs.[173][174] Known contemporary dances are the frigate bird dance and the dogoropa.[175][176]
There are no daily news publications on Nauru, although there is one fortnightly publication,Mwinen Ko. There is a state-owned television station,Nauru Television (NTV), which broadcasts programs from New Zealand and Australia, and a state-owned non-commercial radio station,Radio Nauru, which carries programs fromRadio Australia and theBBC.[178]
^Nauru does not have an official capital, but Yaren is the seat of parliament.[2]
^English is widely spoken by the majority of the population and it is commonly used in government, legislation and commerce alongside Nauruan. Because of Nauru's history and relationship with Australia,Australian English is the dominant variety.[4][5]
^Indirectly influenced by German colonialism,reigen in this cultural context is a German word that implies styles of circular-moving dances in Nauru's historical past, implying that historical Nauruan traditional dances tend to be informal.[172]
^"Nauru Standard Time Act 1978"(PDF). Department of Justice and Border Control. 21 December 1978.Archived(PDF) from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved11 September 2020. Because of the peculiar way the legislation is worded the legal time is not GMT+12.
^"Nauru Pronunciation in English".Cambridge English Dictionary. Cambridge University Press.Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved16 February 2015.
^Hogan, C Michael (2011)."Phosphate".Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment.Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved17 June 2012.
^Hitt, Jack (10 December 2000)."The Billion-Dollar Shack".The New York Times.Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved29 January 2018.
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^abWilliams, Maslyn; Macdonald, Barrie (1985).The Phosphateers. Melbourne University Press. p. 11.ISBN0-522-84302-6.
^abEllis, Albert F. (1935).Ocean Island and Nauru: Their Story. Angus and Robertson. p. 29.OCLC3444055.
^Langdon, Robert (1984).Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports and islands visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century. Pacific Manuscripts Bureau. pp. 180–182.ISBN086784471X.
^Marshall, Mac; Marshall, Leslie B (January 1976). "Holy and Unholy Spirits: The Effects of Missionization on Alcohol Use in Eastern Micronesia".Journal of Pacific History.11 (3):135–166.doi:10.1080/00223347608572299.
^Reyes, Ramon E. Jr (1996)."Nauru v. Australia".New York Law School Journal of International and Comparative Law.16 (1–2).
^abcdeRoberts-Wray, Kenneth (1966).Commonwealth and Colonial Law. Stevens. p. 884.
^abFirth, Stewart (January 1978). "German Labour Policy in Nauru and Angaur, 1906–1914".The Journal of Pacific History.13 (1):36–52.doi:10.1080/00223347808572337.
^abHill, Robert A, ed. (1986). "2: Progress Comes to Nauru".The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers. Vol. 5. University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-05817-0.
^Ellis, AF (1935).Ocean Island and Nauru – their story. Angus and Robertson Limited. pp. 29–39.
^Hartleben, A (1895).Deutsche Rundschau für Geographie und Statistik. p. 429.
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^The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Australia and the Pacific Islands Vol.9.Milton Park:Taylor & Francis. 2017. p. 450.ISBN978-1351544320.Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved18 April 2024.At the Pacific Festival of Arts in 1985 and 1988, sixth-graders at the Nauru Primary School presented the frigate bird (iti), a Nauruan dance. The students practiced daily for two months. The boys clapped and sang while the girls danced, por-traying te birds' flight and perching.... In 1994, at the Children's Convention in Fukuoka, Japan, ten eleven-year-old boys and girls from Nauru performed thedogoropa, a dance with sticks, which men and women from Nauru had performed at the Festival of Arts in 1980.
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