History of Nauru
| History of Nauru | |
|---|---|
The flag of Nauru reflects the 12 original tribes that inhabited the country
|
|
| Historical Periods | |
| Pre-history | until 1888 |
| German Rule | 1888–1942 |
| Japanese Rule | 1942–43 |
| Nauru Independence | 1968–present |
| Major Events | |
| Phosphate originally found | 1907 |
| Collapse of phosphate industry | 2002 |
| Mandate of Nauru | ||||||||||
| League of Nations mandate | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
.svg) Location of the Mandate of Nauru in the Pacific.
|
||||||||||
| Capital | Yaren | |||||||||
| Languages |
English (official) Nauruan |
|||||||||
| Government | League of Nations mandate | |||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | |||||||||
| • | Acquisition of Mandate | December 17, 1920 | ||||||||
| • | Reconstituited into a UN Trust Territory | November 1, 1947 | ||||||||
| Currency | British pound | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
.svg)
| Trust Territory of Nauru | ||||||||||
| United Nations Trust Territory | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Location of the Trust Territory of Nauru in the Pacific.
|
||||||||||
| Capital | Yaren | |||||||||
| Languages |
English (official) Nauruan |
|||||||||
| Government | Trust Territory | |||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | |||||||||
| • | Reconstituited into a UN Trust Territory | November 1, 1947 | ||||||||
| • | Independence | January 31, 1968 | ||||||||
| Currency | Australian dollar | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
The history of human activity in Nauru, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, began roughly 3,000 years ago when 12 Micronesian and Polynesian clans settled the island.
Nauru was first settled by Micronesian and Polynesian peoples at least 3,000 years ago. Nauruans subsisted on coconut and pandanus fruit, and engaged in aquaculture by catching juvenile ibija fish, acclimated them to freshwater conditions, and raised them in Buada Lagoon, providing an additional reliable source of food. Traditionally only men were permitted to fish on the reef, and did so from canoes or by using trained man-of-war hawks.
There were traditionally 12 clans or tribes on Nauru, which are represented in the 12-pointed star in the nation's flag. Nauruans traced their descent on the female side. The first Europeans to encounter the island were on the British whaling ship Hunter, in 1798. When the ship approached, "many canoes ventured out to meet the ship. The Hunter's crew did not leave the ship nor did Nauruans board, but Captain John Fearn's positive impression of the island and its people" led to its English name, Pleasant Island. This name was used until Germany annexed the island 90 years later.
From around 1830, Nauruans had contact with Europeans from whaling ships and traders who replenished their supplies (such as fresh water) at Nauru. The islanders traded food for alcoholic toddy and firearms. The first Europeans to live on the island, starting perhaps in 1830, were Patrick Burke and John Jones, Irish convicts who had escaped from Norfolk Island, according to Paradise for Sale. Jones became "Nauru's first and last dictator," who killed or banished several other beachcombers who arrived later, until the Nauruans banished Jones from the island in 1841.
...
Wikipedia