Nauru
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Country
names & abbreviations |
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Country name
short: Nauru
Country name long: Republic of Nauru
Local name short:
Local name long:
Former name: Pleasant Island
Abbrevation:
Olympia: NRU
ISO_numerisch: 520
3er Codierung: NRU
2er Codierung: NR
CIA-Kuerzel: NR
Internet id: .nr
Vorwahl: +674
Nationality plate: NAU
Dependency Status: independant
Dependant Areas:
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Nationality noun: Nauruan(s)
Nationality adjective: Nauruan
Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
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Background |
The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888. Its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
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Flag |
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blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru |
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International
disputes |
none
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Illicit drugs |
offshore banking recently stopped, remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime
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