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The Crazy History of the Country You’ve Never Heard of
Nauru rose to the title of the wealthiest country in the world on the back of bird poo before a devastating fall
Nauru is a small island, measuring just eight square miles, in the Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia. In the 1970’s it was the wealthiest country in the world — based on GDP per capita — but within twenty years it was in the bottom five countries for wealth and virtually bankrupt.
Let us take a look at the fascinating rise and fall of this island nation.
The Origins
Settled by Micronesians and Polynesians over 3000 years ago, the first Westerner to visit the island was Captain John Fearns in 1798. He was obviously impressed by what he saw, naming it Pleasant Island. A limited number of Westerners arrived over the next century — primarily those deserting whaling ships from North America, until in 1888 the country was annexed by Germany.
Germany ruled the island until 1914, when Australian troops captured Nauru during World War I and took it from the Germans. This handed the island to the British to rule until 1923 when the League of Nations handed control over to Australia, appointing the United Kingdom and New Zealand as co-trustees.
