The world is beautiful, mysterious and able to surprise every day. For example, few people know that there is a poorly studied state entity in the world, lost among the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean - the smallest republic of Nauru in the world: not every geography lover will find it on a map.
Location
For those who want to try - a hint: in the western part of Oceania. A tiny country occupies the island of the same name of the same "impressive" size - a little more than 21 square kilometers. This is 75 (!) Times smaller than the area of ​​London! It is not surprising that such a concept as the capital of Nauru does not exist - the island is simply divided into districts, and the whole short-lived.
This is a typical coral atoll that has been rising from the abyss for millions of years. Discovered as a result of a long search, the Republic of Nauru on the map looks like a moderately elongated oval (4 km wide and 6 km long) with a dent on its side - this is Anibar Bay (east coast).
The atoll is surrounded by a
coral reef - at low tide it is exposed, and then you can stare at the military equipment of the times of the first and second world, which suffered a disaster here. The territory is mostly flat - the plateau is not much higher than the coast.
Today, the island of Nauru rises above sea level by an average of 30-40 meters. If the pessimistic forecasts of environmentalists about global warming come true, most of it will be under water - only the highest point of the island will remain on the surface (according to various sources, not less than 60 and not more than 71 meters).
Historical reference
The island of Nauru itself can be described in one capacious word: long-suffering. The history of a small state clearly demonstrates how small the distance between the ridiculous and the tragic.
People began to settle here in time immemorial: about 3 thousand years ago. Scientists believe that it was an ancient ethnos, from which the Polynesians and Micronesians later formed.
At the moment when the island was discovered by the captain of the English ship, D. Fearn (1798), it was inhabited by 12 tribes, who had a very weak idea of ​​statehood. Nauruans fished in the surrounding waters, cultivated one of its species (khanos) in the inland pond (there is a lake on the territory called Buada), grew coconuts and pandans and somehow managed without civilization.
The Englishman Firn, not taking an interest in the opinion of the indigenous population, called the island "Pleasant" and departed for New Zealand, where he initially headed. From this moment, the ordeals of the natives began: the future republic of Nauru was subjected to "progressive" attacks almost continuously. To begin with, Europeans appeared on the island, and with them strong alcoholic drinks. The local population began to quickly master the "gifts of civilization." Part - drunk, part killed each other in internecine wars, someone met with new diseases (including sexually transmitted).
External management
Since the tiny country did not have the resources to protect itself, the “good white people” took it under their protection. At first, England dealt with the affairs of the natives, in 1888 the restless Germans annexed the island, who transferred it under the control of the Djaluit company.
At the same time, by and large, no one was particularly interested in Nauru - palm trees and original fishing with the participation of trained birds were not very impressed with sharks of big business.
The situation changed dramatically when rich phosphorite deposits were discovered on the island - they had a decisive influence on its history. When it became clear that there was something to profit from, the powerful of this world immediately set to work for Nauru: a state that was not able to take advantage of someone’s weakness would never become a world hegemon. In 1906, the nature of the island began to be systematically destroyed during the development of deposits.
The island is a veteran of two wars
When the First World War struck, a sweet piece filled with minerals, many would like to get, but the Australians were the first to succeed (only slightly ahead of the Japanese, who literally arrived next, but it was already too late). So the future republic of Nauru took part in the global war, as a result of which it was transferred to the League of Nations “under the wing” of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand - they had to manage the island together, but mainly Australia took over these functions.
Predatory development of minerals was in full swing, while the owners of natural wealth themselves were extremely limited. The natives continued to eke out a semi-civilized existence, complicated by the active extraction of phosphorites, and then war broke out again.
At first the Germans shelled the island, but it was still not so bad. The trouble came along with the Japanese, who still realized a long-held dream and captured Nauru in 1942.
The conquerors' cruelty is indicative: it is not known why, but they deported 1.2 thousand local residents to the Chuuk Islands, where almost half of them died. Only in 1946, the surviving Nauruans were able to return to their homeland.
Sluggish struggle for independence
After the Second World War, in 1946, the League of Nations ordered to live long. The formed UN took all its mandated territories under its guardianship. The guardian countries of the island on which the Republic of Nauru is now located were the same as before - and life went on as usual.
The natives began to show a desire for independence in the 50s. Formed in 1927, the Council of Leaders was transformed into a local government body, which had the right of an advisory vote under the colonial government. It’s not thick, but "even a little bit, a teaspoon is already good."
In 1966, the Nauruans obtained permission to form the Executive and Legislative Councils, and in 1968 they declared independence. No one really objected.
Crazy wealth
It was then that happy days began for the local population: the production of phosphorites fell under the control of Nauru - the state began to grow rich quickly (along with its citizens). A funny story wanders around the Net about how the chief of the island’s police acquired Lamborghini solely to prove that he wouldn’t fit into it (apparently, even in Oceania, a self-respecting law enforcement officer should be very well fed).
It is not known whether this bike is true, but the natives did not really manage the treasure that fell on them. The government did not make any intelligible attempts to diversify revenues, for which it paid.
The collapse of hope
The flag of Nauru is a blue cloth, divided horizontally by a yellow stripe. In the lower part - something like a shining white star, which rolled towards the end of the 20th century. The reserves of useful phosphorites were depleted, it suddenly turned out that the islanders had not learned anything else to earn: fishing, agriculture, and the service sector were in their infancy.
In Melbourne stands a skyscraper that once belonged to an unlucky island. In 2004, the flag of Nauru had to be removed from its spire - the government was forced to sell the building in order to repay part of the state debt. The same fate befell many other assets (mainly real estate). By the end of the millennium, it became clear that Nauru is bankrupt.
An attempt to fix finances by creating an offshore zone failed - the world community, led by the United States, was not going to endure a local money laundering project of dubious origin - under the pressure of such a respected power, the idea of ​​easy money was abandoned.
The state of affairs
In an attempt to get money, the islanders do not shun anything: evil tongues claim that Russia paid Nauru to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The islanders also make money on political trade, balancing between China and Taiwan.
The state, which ranked second in the world in terms of GDP per capita in 1986, “slipped” to the 160th in 2014, but the worst part is that the situation continues to deteriorate.
The democratic structure of the island is personified by the parliament, consisting of "already" of 18 deputies. It is located in Yaren County - this is a kind of "capital of Nauru", given that most government institutions are located nearby. Politically, citizens are very (even too) active: three political parties per 10 thousand people - an impressive amount, and during the riots that accompanied the presidential election in 2003, the islanders utterly burned the residence of the head of the state and remained without contact with the outside world for several weeks.
"Elder brother" Nauru
Today, the Republic of Nauru eke out a rather miserable existence, trying to earn some money. The main source of income is cash injections from Australia.
First, the islanders filed a lawsuit against their long-term “guardian” - and they did extort compensation for the predatory extraction of the notorious phosphorites. Now a thriving continent is paying Nauru to host refugees seeking happiness under an Australian blue sky. Some sources suspect that these people are directly the local population, who are paid to sit on their island and not to go anywhere.
Relations with Australia are generally very strong - to such an extent that the Supreme Australian Court is considered the highest court of Nauru.
Island Prospects
Own efforts to earn have not yet been crowned with success. It would be possible to engage in fishing - the depth of the ocean just two kilometers from the island is more than 1000 m, but only two fishing vessels are “registered” in the port of Nauru. Agriculture by and large can only serve the population of the republic. The situation with drinking water is bad - special installations with which water is desalinated are often idle due to debts for electricity.
Tourism is also in its infancy: rest in Nauru is not very popular, because there are much more interesting places in Oceania, from whatever point of view.
The local flavor during the years of "close cooperation" with the Europeans has lost a lot. Traditions have been forgotten, there are no ancient settlements or monuments left either.
Nauru as a place to relax
Even the weather of Nauru is a serious test for a European: since the island is located almost at the equator (42 km south), it is very humid and hot. In summer - drought, during the day under 40 degrees of heat, at night it drops "right down" to 30 - you can’t live here without an air conditioner. The activity of the sun is such that it can burn even in water. In the rainy season, in addition to being hot, it is also damp - in general, the climate is not for everyone.
But the saddest thing is the state of ecology. For almost a century of phosphorite mining, almost the entire territory of the island (up to 90%) was disfigured - it lost the soil layer and turned into the so-called. "Moon landscape" with which environmentalists scare the planet. Since no one cared about restoring natural resources, almost everywhere - the intricacies of mines, cliffs, heaps of waste rock - these are such impressive views. Nauru never tire of asking for money for an ecosystem restoration program. The UN, into which the young tiny state joined in 1999, is trying in every possible way to contribute. So far, however, notable success has been achieved.
In general, in Nauru, tours for which are not in great demand for the reasons already indicated, almost one entertainment is sea fishing with a local guide. Lovers claim to be very cool. You can also dive with scuba diving - simple dives are practiced in Anibar Bay. From times of past prosperity there were pools and tennis courts.