Forgotten World (124): Nauru
Named Pleasant Island by its first European visitors, the former British colony of Nauru is the world’s smallest island nation, covering just 21 km² (8.1 sq. mi), and the world’s smallest independent republic with a a mere 10,000 citizens, as well as being the only republican state in the world without an official capital.
This tiny Pacific island once generated a per capita income out of proportion to its size, but the source of this wealth – phosphates – is nearing exhaustion, leaving the islanders facing an uncertain future. While the mining of 1,000 years’ worth of fossilised bird droppings has been lucrative, Nauru relies on imports for almost everything – from food and water to fuel. Moreover, recent financial crises have precipitated a slide into bankruptcy and a dependence on aid. The country had to sell off its assets in Australia to pay off a multi-million dollar debt to a US corporation.