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Photo: d-online, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.How well do you know Nauru? Test your knowledge on the history, culture, geography, and unique traditions of one of the world's smallest independent island nations.
Island Curious 0–4 · Pacific Explorer 5–8 · True Nauruan Expert 9–10
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During the late 1960s and 1970s, the extensive mining of phosphate deposits transformed Nauru into one of the wealthiest nations per capita. This mineral was formed over thousands of years from fossilized bird droppings. Unfortunately, the heavy mining stripped the island's interior, leaving behind a stark landscape of barren limestone pinnacles that is difficult to farm or develop.
Photo: Lorrie Graham/AusAID, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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Nauru does not issue its own currency and instead uses the Australian dollar for all daily transactions. This financial arrangement dates back to the period when Australia administered the island. Because there are very few physical bank branches on Nauru, cash remains the dominant method of payment for almost all local goods and services.
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Australian rules football is so popular in Nauru that it is widely seen as the national sport. The island's league plays at Linkbelt Oval, whose pitch is made of crushed phosphate dust. Nauru's national team is called the Chiefs, and its young players are especially strong.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Nauru is one of the very few countries in the world that does not have an official capital city. Instead, Yaren is recognized as the main administrative district because it houses the parliament and many government offices. An interesting detail is that Yaren also contains the island's single airport runway, which stretches across a significant portion of the district.
Photo: Sean Kelleher from Melbourne, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Buada Lagoon is a peaceful, landlocked freshwater body situated in the southwest of Nauru. Unlike the rest of the island's interior, which was heavily mined for phosphate, the area around the lagoon remains relatively fertile and green. Local residents have traditionally used this unique body of water to farm milkfish, providing an important local source of protein.
Photo: Lorrie Graham/AusAID, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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Command Ridge is the highest point on Nauru, yet it rises less than 75 metres above sea level. During World War II, Japanese forces used it as a lookout, and visitors can still find an old communications bunker and rusty guns there. From the top you can see across the whole island to the ocean.
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The Nauruan language is classified within the Micronesian branch of the Austronesian language family. It is highly distinct from other Pacific languages, making it difficult for speakers of neighboring tongues to understand. While English is widely used for government and commerce, Nauruan remains the cherished language spoken at home by most locals.
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The great frigatebird holds a special place in Nauruan culture, where catching and taming these sea birds is a traditional art. Clans would build high wooden platforms along the coast to attract them, using trained decoy birds to lure wild ones. Today, keeping these birds is still practiced by some locals as a hobby and a nod to their ancestral heritage.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Captain John Fearn sailed past on his trading ship Hunter and was so charmed by the green island that he called it 'Pleasant Island'. The name stuck in English until Nauru became the official name in the late 1880s.
Photo: Lorrie Graham/AusAID, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
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Following World War II, the United Nations established a joint trusteeship over Nauru, which was co-administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, though Australia handled the actual day-to-day administration. Nauru eventually gained its full independence in 1968. To this day, Australia remains Nauru's primary economic and development partner.
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