Nauru — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Nauru: capital Yaren, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Nauru is in Oceania. Its capital is Yaren.

Climate

Tropical; hot and humid with monsoon rains from November to February

Sandy beach rising to a narrow fertile coastal strip surrounding a central phosphate plateau

Nauru is the world's smallest island nation and third-smallest country.

Nauru was once one of the richest countries per capita due to phosphate mining, but the reserves are now nearly exhausted.

The island has no official capital city; Yaren is the de facto governmental center.

1798: British whaling captain John Fearn becomes the first Westerner to visit Nauru

1888: Germany annexes Nauru and incorporates it into the Marshall Islands Protectorate

1906: Phosphate deposits discovered, beginning decades of mining

1942: Japanese forces occupy Nauru during World War II

1968: Nauru gains independence from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK

2001: Australia establishes detention center on Nauru under the Pacific Solution