Nauru: The Pleasant Island without a capital
We all know that every country has a capital city. But what if we told you that this is not always the case? In fact, Bolivia has two capitals, Sucre and La Paz. On the other hand, South Africa has three, namely, Cape Town, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. In contrast, Vatican City, Monaco and Singapore are countries that act as their respective capitals themselves. In sharp contrast, there is also a country with no capital city. Yes, you read that right. Here, we are talking about Nauru, an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean (northeast of Australia).
The no-capital Pleasant Island
Nauru was earlier known as the Pleasant Island. The nomenclature was done by 18th-century British explorer John Fearn for its ‘pleasing’ appearance. It is the second smallest republic and the smallest island nation in the world. Forget about having a capital city; Nauru doesn’t even have a city! But that doesn’t mean this microstate doesn’t have a government of its own. The government offices, including the Parliament House, are in a district named Yaren, located on the country’s southern shore. Yaren is also home to the Nauru International Airport. Here’s a surprising fact for you – Nauru is so small that the airport’s runway stretches across the entire island!
With a population, of approximately 10,000, Nauru spans through only 21 square kilometres. It is smaller than all countries except Vatican City and Monaco. Interestingly, Nauru’s national flag represents the country’s obscurity (anonymity). It features a horizontal line representing the Equator, with a white-coloured star beneath it. The flag can literally tell you where to find this country on a map
From nothing to a member of the Pacific Community
Nauru was first sighted by an English sailing vessel in 1798. Extensive contact with the Europeans began around the 1830s, when the whaling industry started penetrating eastern Micronesia. Nauru became a port of call for sailors in search of supplies. Soon European beachcombers settled in Nauru, bringing with them alcohol and foreign diseases. Not much is known about Nauru before the 19th century, which is when it became a German colony. However, after the World War I, Nauru became a mandated territory within the League of Nations framework. During this process, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand were made the responsible authorities. Soon, it was captured by the Japanese during the World War II (1942). But as soon as the war ended, the country chose to enter into the United Nations trust territory, until 1968, when it finally gained independence. It also became a member of the Pacific Community.
Nauru, as it is today
Back then, Nauru was one of the richest regions on earth, thanks to its immense deposits of phosphates left behind through centuries of bird droppings. However, over the years, the country ran out of all resources and luck too! Ages of strip-mining operations exhausted the phosphate reserves. As a result, Nauru’s economy collapsed, and it went almost bankrupt in the early years of the 21st century. The situation in Nauru worsened so much that in order to survive, the country started importing foreign prisoners in exchange for help from foreigners. In fact, a place named Meneng situated in the east of Yaren has a detention centre. Here, many immigrants, mainly from Australia, are kept.