Nauru

Nauru is an island country located in Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands, covering an area of just 21 square kilometers, making it one of the smallest countries in the world. As of 2025, Nauru has a population of about 9,900, with Nauruan as the official language and English widely understood. The island features a sandy beach rising to a fertile ring around raised coral reefs with a phosphate plateau in the center, with a tropical climate with a monsoonal pattern. Nauru has no official capital, and the government operates as a parliamentary republic.

Nauru has a small economy with a GDP of $160.35 million and a GDP per capita of $12,600, historically dependent on phosphate mining, though those reserves are now largely depleted. Natural resources include phosphates and fish. The island faces significant economic challenges due to the exhaustion of its phosphate deposits, which once made it one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world. Nauru relies on revenue from the Regional Processing Centre for asylum seekers, fishing licenses, and aid from Australia. The country has 100% urbanization and a life expectancy of 62.3 years.