Nauru is an island country situated in Micronesia in the Central Pacific. It has 11,347 residents in a 21 square kilometre area.
Nauru is the third smallest state by area in the world. Nauru is also the world’s smallest island nation, the smallest independent republic, and the only republic in the world without an official capital. Nauruan is the official language, and the Australian dollar is the currency.
Nauru only has one significant source of income: phosphates from thousands of years’ worth of guano or bird droppings. This proved to be both a boon and a bane for Nauruans – for a long time, its residents enjoyed a high level of income as the country exported its phosphate like there was no tomorrow.
Nauru is also known as the country with the most obese people in the world. In the early 21st century Nauru agreed to temporarily house hundreds of Australia-bound asylum seekers while they waited for the processing of their applications. In exchange, Australia provided millions of dollars in aid to Nauru.