A state in Oceania with a population of 12,000 has changed its name. 7 facts about Naoero

The Pacific nation of Nauru changed its name to Naoero in order, according to the official version, to get rid of its colonial past, and also revoked recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and severed diplomatic ties with these countries. After a sharp economic upswing in the last century, Naoero has become an example of the collapse that consumerism can lead to. What is remarkable about the Naoero state and what significance its voice has is in the Izvestia article.

Fact 1. One of the smallest states

• Naoero is located northeast of Australia, beyond the Solomon Islands. Along with Monaco and the Vatican, it is one of the smallest states in the world. The area of the atoll is 21.3 square kilometers, and the population in 2026 reached over 12 thousand people. The country is a parliamentary republic, but it does not have a capital.

• The name Naoero, which became official in 2026, is historical. The name Nauru has appeared in documents since 1888 due to the Europeans, for whom the original name of the atoll was difficult to pronounce. The decision to change the country's name was planned to be held through a national referendum, but the country's president, David Adeang, decided to cancel the vote because the name Naoero had already become the "identity of the people."

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Fact 2. Phosphorite deposit

• In 1900, when Nauru, annexed by Germany, was under the protectorate of the Marshall Islands, deposits of phosphorite (historical name — nauruit) were discovered on the atoll — the main source of phosphorus for the preparation of fertilizers. There are two versions of the origin of phosphorites on Nauru: According to one theory, they were formed from the dead mass of plankton, according to the other — from the excrement of seabirds that nested on the atoll.

• The discovery of phosphorites played a crucial role in the fate of the island. In 1906, the Australian Pacific Phosphate Company acquired the rights to develop the island, and it was on its ships that the Australian military arrived during the First World War. As a result of the war, the atoll was transferred to the joint management of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. During World War II, the island was captured by Japan, but after liberation from occupation in 1945, the territory returned to the control of three countries.

Fact 3. Sudden wealth

• It was only after independence in 1968 that Nauru gained control over the mining of phosphorites. If during the time of colonization phosphate ore exports amounted to 200 thousand tons per year, now it has grown to 35 million tons. Thanks to this, the island state has become one of the richest in the world with a GDP of $20,000 per capita.

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• In the 1970s, the average income per citizen already reached $13 thousand. Nauru built a railway and an airport, created its own airline, abolished taxes and made medicine and education free. Due to high incomes, local residents did not work - mostly migrants worked, and agriculture was practically abandoned.

Fact 4. Severe sobering up

• The island's luxurious life ended in the 1990s: ore reserves began to dry up, and demand for it in the world also fell - there was a need for less toxic fertilizers. But the period of predatory mining of phosphorites caused enormous damage to the island's ecology: bare rocks remained at the mining site, and it is no longer possible to restore the forest. Almost all agricultural products on the island are imported and therefore expensive.

• Another side effect of the consumption culture that has engulfed the island for three decades is the epidemic of excess weight. In the early 1990s, Nauru was the leader in terms of the proportion of the population with obesity and type II diabetes.

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Fact 5. The state is an offshore company

• Faced with a sharp drop in income, Nauru first sold off its overseas assets, and then created an offshore harbor on its territory. In 2004, about 400 foreign banks were registered on the territory of Nauru, and the country attracted the attention of the US Treasury Department as a major center for laundering criminal proceeds. Nauru has also been engaged in the "passport trade" for some time, obtaining citizenship for foreigners for a certain amount.

Fact 6. Reservation for internally displaced persons

• Nauru provides its territory to citizens of other countries who have applied to Australia for political asylum and are awaiting consideration of their application. In 2023, as part of an agreement with Australia, more than 160 people were sent to the island, forced to wait up to two months, and sometimes even longer, for the Australian government to respond. Migrants complained about too expensive food and drinking water: the government imports most of the products, and therefore their prices are higher than in Australia.

Fact 7. The island nation's voice carries weight

• Despite its small size and population, the island nation has its own trump card: in international organizations, its voice weighs as much as that of major powers such as the United States, Russia or China. Therefore, small Pacific States often vote in exchange for financial support. In 2024, Nauru revoked Taiwan's diplomatic recognition in exchange for Chinese investment.

The fact that Nauru recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia did not suit Georgia and the United States for a long time. In 2017, American President Donald Trump signed a bill declaring Abkhazia and South Ossetia "occupied territories," and therefore the funds of the American government could not be used to assist any states that recognized the independence of these countries. Trump's decision also threatened the implementation of Asian Development Bank projects in Nauru. Earlier, the island states of Vanuatu and Tuvalu, which also came under American pressure, revoked the diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.