!!!Nauru %%image_right [{GoogleMap location='Nauru' type='embedded' zoom='bounds' width='450' height='350'}] %% [{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] ---- * %%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] %% %%