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Map of Nauru, Pacific – Photographic Print
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Nauru is a tiny island in the Micronesian Pacific Ocean, with a fascinating but sad background (wikipedia). The island is a coral reef covered in bird droppings, and the islanders sold the birdpoo for phosphate (fertiliser). They raked in the cash, as did their colonial overlords. By the time they gained their independence in 1966, Nauru’s people were the richest in the world.

Whereas the island once had a sustainable population of a thousand, it grew to ten thousand. So rich were they that if you visited a Nauruan house and admired one of the possessions, your host would insist that you took the item home with you. But their wealth was built on nothing more than birdcrap, and when that ran out so did the money.

Today these people live with poverty and unemployment, riddled by wealth-related health problems: obesity, diabetes, renal failure and heart disease.

They always knew that the phosphate was going to run out, and some of the profits were put into a trust fund to provide for the future: but the cash was squandered, mismanaged and gambled away on risky investments.

The paradise has gone for the islanders, but not for tourists. There’s great deep sea game fishing, and great scuba diving on the part of the reef that has not been ruined. There are lovely beaches, and some interesting walks around the fertile outer ring of the island, and into the limestone interior where the mined areas are revegetating. A week should be enough though, because it’s hot and humid, and the island is only 21 square kilometers (8 square miles).

There are two hotels and a handful of good restaurants, provided you like fish and other seafood (or coconuts).

If someone asks you how you are getting there, you can truthfully reply that “we’re flying on our airline” because, you see, the name of Nauru’s airline is actually “Our Airline”.

The Lonely Planet Guide warns that it’s “a far cry from the heady phosphate-rich days of the 1970s and ’80s, and many local people have become reticent in their dealings with visitors” (whatever that means), and cautions that you must obtain visas in advance. Bring Australian dollars, because it’s the only currency accepted on the island and there are no ATMs or credit card facilities.

If you visit Nauru, please let us know in the Comments what you thought!