!!!Nauru
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[{GoogleMap location='Nauru' type='embedded' zoom='bounds'  width='450' height='350'}]
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[{Image src='nr-lgflag.gif' class='image_left' height='150' width='226'}]

[{Image src='nauru.jpg' class='image_left' }]

The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
%%menu-geo
%%cols-r
* %%icon-geo,geo %% [Geography|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Geography]
* %%icon-geo,maps %% [Maps|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Maps]
* %%icon-geo,culture %% [Culture|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Culture]
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* %%icon-geo,special %% [Special Information|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Special_Information]
* %%icon-geo,picture %% [Pictures|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Pictures]
* %%icon-geo,community %% [Community Contributions|Geography/Australia/Nauru/Community_Contributions]
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