Nauru

Immediately south of the Equator, NAURU is the smallest island country and third-smallest country in the world. The sparsely-populated island is located in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia, about 2,900 miles (4,670 kilometers) southwest of Hawai'i, and west of Kiribati. The de facto capital is Yaren, which has a population only hovering around 4,600. Displayed with thin orange borders and orange embossed text are the fourteen districts of Nauru: Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, and Yaren. Parallel to the island's whole coastline is the Island Ring Road, a fitting name for the major highway connecting all of Nauru's oceanside communities.

The official languages in Nauru are English and Nauruan. The currency is the Australian Dollar, and its ISO 4217 currency code is AUD. Nauru's former wealth accumulated in the 1960s and 1970s because of its plentiful phosphate deposits. During that time period, Nauru boasted one of the world's highest incomes per person (per-capita). In recent decades, Nauru's fortune declined precipitously when these phosphate reserves were completely extracted. Can Nauru regain its former glory? Only time will tell.