Nauru is a small and remote island state in Southeast Pacific. It is remote to the point that the nearest country Kiribati is also 300 km away. It is also the smallest country outside Europe.
Despite being a remote island in the Pacific, Nauru is not especially tourist-friendly. This may be because of its highly varied history.
John Fearn, was a British whaling captain, who also was the first westerner to visit the island in 1798. Being impressed by the island, he gave Nauru the name of "Pleasant Island".
Phosphate was discovered in Nauru in early 20th Century and was mined heavily. This led to huge environmental damage to an extent that the island was deemed unsuitable to live by the Australian Government.
The then Australian Prime Minister, Bob Menzies, proposed all the island's natives to be relocated to Curtis Island and become Australian citizens. This proposal was refused and in the process, Nauru became independent.
For a while, Nauru was quite rich due to the phosphate mining, its per capita income being second only to Saudi Arabia. However this didn't last for long. Soon, the Phosphate deposits ran out and mismanagement of funds led to the country being in a perilous situation.
Nauru being small in size, the only commercial crop here is coconuts, which grow in plenty all over the place. Also, the island is surrounded by water. These points make seafood and coconuts a major part of the Nauruan cuisine.
One can buy handicrafts including handmade shell ornaments, straw hats, fans, mats, baskets, etc at stalls spread across the island.
Nauru is the most obese country in the world with over 71% population being obese. Scientists have theorized as this might be the effect of genetics while others have blamed the ways of cooking brought over by the foreigners.
Every person in Nauru occupies land. The Government can only lease the land, while foreigners are strictly not allowed to own any land here.
Despite all these problems, sports has thrived in Nauru. Australian Rules Football and weightlifting are especially popular. In the Commonwealth Games it has won more medals than countries like Tanzania and Botswana.