Nauru
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Nauru
Country name - conventional short form : Nauru
Country name - local long form : Republic of Nauru
Country name - local short form : Nauru
Country name - former : Pleasant Island
Government type : republic
Capital - time difference : UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Population : 13,770 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Nauruan(s)
Nationality - adjective : Nauruan
Languages : Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Currency (code) : Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code : AUD
Nauru is located Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands. The climate is tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February). The terrain is sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
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