An island country of the central Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of Kiribati. Inhabited by a population of mainly Polynesian ancestry, Nauru was explored by the British in 1798 and became a German protectorate in 1888. Nauru was administered by Australia from 1914 until it became independent in 1968. There is no official capital, but government offices are located in Yaren district. Population: 11,000.
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