Talk:Nauru

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To-do list for Nauru: edit · history · watch · refresh
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  • add a Geology section
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Nauru is included in the 2007 Wikipedia for Schools, or is a candidate for inclusion in future versions. Please maintain high quality standards, and make an extra effort to include free images, because non-free images cannot be used on the CDs.

Some things that might be interesting to put somewhere in here:

The diet of Nauru(ians?) under highest standards of living were mainly canned foods, leading to high obesity rate.

They've been moving into off-shore banking, a lot of Russian mob money and other types of questionable cash has been sent there. As well as off-shore corporations.

~ender

There's a lot of information in the German Wikipedia, see de:Portal:Nauru. -- CdaMVvWgS 18:52, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] The only country in the world with no official capital?

I think neither the Vatican City has any official capital. Jakro64 22:14, 21 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Most reference books seem to list the capital of the Vatican City as (wait for it) the Vatican City. Matthewmayer 15:54, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)
You might consider Yaren as the capital of Nauru, because that's where the government buildings were. I lived with my family in Nauru for 4 years :-)

[edit] Smallest population?

It is the world's smallest independent republic both in terms of population and land area. Exactly the same is said about Tuvalu. Which is correct? The Singing Badger 21:59, 30 Nov 2004 (UTC)

According to the Tuvalu entry, "Tuvalu is a constitutional monarchy". https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tv.html : "constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy; began debating republic status in 1992" Apokrif 08:37, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC)

In 2002 or therabouts Nauru repatriated a large number of i-Kiribati and Tuvaluan workers. At this point eh population dropped (probably to below the level of Tuvalu, since their po' n increased at teh same time, and the ethnic makeup of Nauru changed. The demography section should be updated to reflect this if someone has the data. 192.195.49.10 (talk) 00:27, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Money laundering

This text was recently added by an IP user (only contribution to date):

"Nauru is currently battling the United States in Australian court over an underground agreement gone sour. Nauru claims that agents representing the United States government offered billions of dollars worth of economic recovery to the island in exchange for new legislation limiting the efficacy of overseas money laundering and tax evasion as well as the establishment of a Nauruan "stooge" embassy in China to function under United States control as a means of secretly ushering defecting North Korean scientists and officials across the border, including Kyong Won-ha, the scientest supposedly responsible for much of Pyongyang's nuclear program. This initiative was termed, "Operation Weasel". When news of this agreement came to light after Nauru faithfully followed through with the necessary legislation and the preliminaries of the embassy (which rightfully drew suspicion from China as it was staffed entirely by westerners), the United States responded that the agents who made the deal with Nauru never had the authority to make such a contract, and Nauru has not yet received the promised aid. Nauru's case against the United States is currently still pending, but preliminary judgements favor the island nation over the superpower."

Can anyone shed any light on the truth of this?

Matthewmayer 14:11, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The topic is real, there were a number of Australian newspaper articles about "Operation Weasel", the entirety of which is way more convoluted than the above paragraph implies, as the goal of "Operation Weasel" was to create a safe way for North Korean officials to defect, and the above-mentioned aid was supposedly part of the US's incentive for Nauru's assistance. Oy. Cleaning up the money laundering was secondary, and the US was applying all sorts of diplomatic pressure on that front. This needs cleanup. Perhaps I'll have to research a page on Operation Weasel. For now, here are some random links of varying legitimacy: [1], [2], [3] . -- Kaszeta 21:33, 1 Mar 2005 (UTC)
This was reported on by American author Jack Hitt in an informative (and honestly quite interesting) radio documentary about the island that was aired on NPR's "This American Life" [4]. The page for Operation Weasel, however, seems like it could be incorporated as a section on this page; as diplomatic incidents go the operation probably doesn't deserve its own page, but within the 'Economy' section of this article it would shed light on the desperate lengths the Nauruan government has gone to recently in searching for alternative revenue sources. 67.64.73.234 12:25, 23 May 2006 (UTC)


National sport

Can anyone shead some light on this. In this artice it's claimed that Australian Rules is the national sport, yet Culture_of_Nauru indicates that Football and Softball are the popular sports. Can anyone confirm either of these, so this error can be fixed? --Tancred 05:50, August 22, 2005 (UTC)

May Softball not be a popular sport because Australian Football is the national sport? (Which it is.) Jon Harald Søby \ no na 19:45, 10 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Wild Pigs

Pigs and chickens run wild there. By last count there were 2,500 wild pigs. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Myleftelbow (talk • contribs)

Do you have a source for that? Jon Harald Søby 11:09, 26 April 2006 (UTC)


Ah... Not anymore. It accidently went back to the library.

I'll see if I can find it again. Mango Butt 03:43, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Satellite photo

Check out the birdseye view of Nauru on the Luxembourg Wikipedia article (lb:). It shows the effects of strip mining much better than the satellite photo shown here. I propose that the current photo here be switched with the one on lb:. GilliamJF 19:59, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

  • It's a great photo, but there are a couple of problems with it (1) As of 2003, about 63% of former mining land is revegetated, which is shown in the more recent photo, and something I was going to add to the caption. (2) It's one of the photos CdaMVvWgS got permission to use as PD, but the stauts of the image is a bit murky since we don't know the original photographer. It'd be great if we could get an aerial shot from the 80s and the more recent one and put them side by side, that'd show the decline in mining and the restoration work.--nixie 23:02, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Speaking of photos, the pic "Nauru Island under attack by B-24 Liberator bombers of the US Seventh Air Force" is very distorting as it looks as though either the plane is enormous or the entire island is smaller than an airfield. I propose that that photo be changed.--M3rrick 09:38, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] problem sentence

Peta:

Naurans subsisted on coconut, pandanus fruit and fish caught with trained Man-of-war Hawks or ibija fish that they raised in Buada Lagoon.[2]

It's unclear which food (all three types?) are caught with which predator (the hawkes/fish), and which predators the Nauruans raise in the lagoon.

Tony 02:06, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

  • I broke it down into two sentences, I think it is more clear now.--Peta 02:25, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ref

  • Gowdy JM, McDaniel CN (1999). "The physical destruction of Nauru: An example of weak sustainability". LAND ECONOMICS 75: 333-339.  [5]--Stone 08:47, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
  • ANGHIE A (1993). "THE HEART OF MY HOME - COLONIALISM, ENVIRONMENTAL-DAMAGE, AND THE NAURU CASE". HARVARD INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 34: 445-506. 
  • TAYLOR R, THOMA K (1985). "MORTALITY PATTERNS IN THE MODERNIZED PACIFIC ISLAND NATION OF NAURU". AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH A 75: 149-155.  [6]
  • Fagence M (1997). "An uncertain future for tourism in microstates; the case of Nauru". TOURISM MANAGEMENT 18: 385-392.  DOI
  • OLSSON J (1995). "NAURU". CONTEMPORARY PACIFIC 7: 134-137.  [7]
  • GLASSNER MI (1995). "NAURU - ENVIRONMENTAL-DAMAGE UNDER INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEESHIP - WEERAMANTRY,C". POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY 14: 101-103.  DOI
  • HERR RA (1994). "NAURU - ENVIRONMENTAL-DAMAGE UNDER INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEESHIP - WEERAMANTRY,C". AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE 29: 419-420. 
  • HILL PJ, JACOBSON G (1989). "STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF NAURU ISLAND, CENTRAL PACIFIC-OCEAN". AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 36: 365-381. 
  • VIVIANI N (1968). "NAURU PHOSPHATE NEGOTIATIONS". JOURNAL OF PACIFIC HISTORY 3: 151-154. 
  • TATE M (1968). "NAURU, PHOSPHATE, AND NAURUANS". AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY 14: 177-192. 

--Stone 09:03, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Congrats

Congrats to all the editors whose contribution made this article a featured one. It is really an intersting and well-made article. Regards.--Dwaipayan (talk) 14:13, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

I would like to congratulate all whose effort and creativity exists here: this article is now top-notch! - GilliamJF 08:21, 19 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Economy

A November 2007 Asian Development bank report lists Nauru's per capita GDP at US$2038 in 2006. [8] I will update the figure from the current one of $5000, which i think significantly misrepresents the level of productive activity there.

192.195.49.10 (talk) 00:20, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

The same article, although referenced here as saying the country had the highest GDP/capita in the world, does not actually make this claim. I think this may be an urban legend. (JS)

The article clearly states

f"since 2001 it [Nauru] has accepted aid from the Australian government; in exchange for this aid, Nauru houses an 'offshore' detention centre that holds and processes asylum seekers trying to enter Australia."

yet, there is no mention in the Economy section of detention being a significant part of Nauru'a economy. Surely detention should be listed as part of Nauru's economy? According to one source it is the single largest contributor to Nauru's economy. [9] [10] John Dalton 01:29, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

  • Recieveing foreign aid isn't really an economic activity. Also I'd like to see some more reliable sources before any changes are made. At last count there were only two people in the centre, so mangement of the centre isn't really a big employer atm either.--Peta 02:13, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
  • I agree that reliable sources are needed. It's just that the article clearly states that the aid is in exchange for detention. The 'aid' appears to be payment for a service rendered and so should form part of the economy. Scoop [11] reports that Nauru has received A$22million over two years for detaining refugees. isScoop doesn't call the payment aid and says it is on top of aid (A$13.5 million for 2004-5) and compensation for phosphate mining (A$2.5million/year). As I understand it Scoop is one the major players in NZ's online media and not on either side the refugee debate. The article is two years old though. Do the arrangements still stand or even being expanded, especially in light of the Australian government's current plans to send more people to Nauru? John Dalton 04:15, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
  • I disagree that it is relevant to the economy section, the aid situation is described in the foreign relations section. I also don't think a 2 year old news report, that mentions even older data is a good source for the issue today.--Peta 04:19, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
  • Also of interest is the Australian government's budget for "Offshore processing strategy - Nauru" [12] (last entry on 7th page). It mentions numbers for 2006-2010 increasing to around A$10 million/year. Consulting the glossary for the budget [13], "Dept. items" are expenses within the department, while "Admin. items" are expenses outside the department, such as paying others for detention services. The term "Admin." means the item is administered on behalf of DIMA by a third party. I'm posting this here mainly as a record for others to add to, as the budget doesn't state that this money is going directly into pockets in Nauru (Aid normally goes via AusAID [14], not DIMA.) More sources, which I don't have, are need to make that link, if it is there. This budget does reliably show that the Australian government is planning to expand its Nauru operations over the next three years, which might belong in the article. If I find any more sources I will post them on this talk page. John Dalton 05:02, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
  • Unless the government makes an announcment updating the details of Memorandum of Understanding in light of the legislation changes - then what you are proposing is original analysis of the budget and does not belong in an encyclopedia article.--Peta 05:20, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Added New Links

I added two links, one to CenPac, the Nauru ISP, and one to the official website of Air Nauru. Inkan1969 16:31, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New plane

Air Nauru (renamed Our Airline) bought a 737 this summer and has resumed regular passenger service [15] Darkspots 17:10, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Proposed WikiProject

There is now a proposed WikiProject dealing with the area of Micronesia at Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Proposals#Micronesia. Any interested parties should add their names there, so we can see if there is enough interest in this project to try to officially start it. Thank you. Badbilltucker 21:21, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] How high, and why resettle?

The fraser island article notes a proposal (rejected) to resettle the population there. It doesn't indicate why this might be thoguht a good idea - is there a need for discussion of resettlement proposals here? How tall is the island, and what effect would a 5-15 metre rise in sea level have on it? Midgley 05:21, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

In the 1950s resettlement plans probably didn't have anything to do with sea-level rise; rather most of the islands population had been displaced during WWII. Since there is not much on Nauru someone in the Australian government probably thought they might like a nicer island. Sea level rise would probably flood most of the little arable land on the island - but I have not read of any recent resettlement plans for Nauru. --Peta 05:46, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Local pronunciation of Naoero

Hi, does anyone out there know how to pronounce "Nauru" in Nauruan? I know it's spelled /Naoero/, but this doesn't give me the pronunciation. Please give me an accurate IPA transcription for this. (IPA is unfortunately absent from the Nauruan language page). I am annoyed that the pronunciation is only given for English (first line), and not in the local language. Cheers, Womtelo 08:21, 3 March 2007 (UTC).

[edit] No capital?

We read in the article on London, "Unlike most capital cities, London's status as the capital of the UK has never been granted or confirmed officially — by statute or in written form. Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the UK's unwritten constitution." But London is treated as the capital by the article on the United Kingdom. So why is the UK treated differently from Nauru? Constitutionally neither has a capital; de facto, both do. -86.134.12.250

The distinction between de jure and de facto capital is somewhat nerdy. There are in fact many countries without an 'official' capital. My city, Copenhagen, is another one of these 'unofficial' capitals, in the sense that no law states where the capital is. According to the article, Yaren is where Nauru's Parliament and government resides, so Yaren is the capital. In medieval kingdoms where the king was always on the move with his staff, clerks and army, one could maybe speak of states with no capital, but today they hardly exist. --Sasper 21:19, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I found this photo of Nauru

-Indolences 03:09, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Want more on Nauru

Whats Nauru's Literacy Rate, Years Of Schooling,Doctors Per 100,000 people, AIDS deaths per annum & access to clean water? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.230.67.194 (talk) 10:20, 10 May 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Interesting....

According to the figures in this article, about 65 Nauruans work for someone other than the government. does that sound right? --Someones life 06:21, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Phosphate rock ?!

All this talk of phosphate rock, and not a single mention that it was bird shit, i.e. Guano. It was not a geological deposit, it was the buildup of thousands of years of efforts by the birds which the British Phosphate company dug up for the benefit of farmers in other countries. Like other nations that relay on mining & other primary produce, Nauru sold its only asset other nations wanted without building a local sustainable living for its people; they just accepted the mining industry claims that the people were 'lucky' to have some temp jobs for fifty or so years. It's best economic hope is to act as host to John Howad's Pacific solution efforts to keep asylum seekers out of Australia.58.107.1.200 01:39, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

nah, that's a myth. I spoke to the Managing director of NPC and he told me it's mainly fossilised sea creatures. SAme on nearby Banaba island (Kiribati) 192.195.49.10 (talk) 00:25, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Nauru the first country that would be entirely swallowed up by sea level rise?

I seem to remember reading this somewhere. Does anyone know if this has been verified or not?--h i s s p a c e r e s e a r c h 12:56, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

No, that's Tuvalu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu#Geography 58.165.135.252 08:07, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

Would seem Maldives would be at the greatest risk first, having the lowest elevation overall of any country in the world. The highest point in Maldives is only 8 feet above sea level. 75.70.123.215 01:48, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Poor References

The reference for the claim that Australia has sent more refugees to Nauru in 2007 simply outlines how much it costs to maintain the detention camps. 58.165.135.252 08:05, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nauruan Scouting

Can someone please render "Be Prepared", the Scout Motto, into Nauruan? Thanks! Chris 05:13, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Smallest Commomwealth Member?

The into states that "The smallest independent member of The Commonwealth" I dispute that, as Tuvalu is a member of the Commonwealth, with only 11,000 people. A fact that is backed up on the Commonwealth of Nations article. I'll remove it from the into in a couple of days, unless anyone objects. Brian | (Talk) 23:36, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hunting birds with lassos?

In the culture section, the article describes hunting noddy birds at the beach with a lasso. But the referenced article describes hunting the birds inland with nets:

"Topside, in the evening, you’ll probably pass quite few young men out hunting for noddy birds, with nets at the end of long metal poles."

Lassoing a flying bird seems an unlikely feat... is the existing text some kind of subtle vandalism?

Jrauser (talk) 20:26, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

When I was on the island I had a few beers with the president of nauru, and a chat about catchign noddy birds (it's a small, small place). Apparently they do use a lasso. noddy birds aren't too smart it seems and he told me their population is in decline. The presdient also demonstrated the call the people used to make to attract the birds, and told me people now use a cassette recording of a noddy bird call instead. so there you go. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.195.49.10 (talk) 00:45, 31 January 2008 (UTC)