In News:

The Pacific island nation Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, adopting its indigenous name.

About the Republic of Naoero

The Republic of Naoero is an independent island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and is the world's third-smallest sovereign state by land area, after Vatican City and Monaco. It has a population of around 12,000.

• Capital: No official capital; government offices are located in the Yaren District.
• Location: Situated in southeastern Micronesia, about 40 km south of the Equator and 1,300 km northeast of the Solomon Islands.

Key Geographical Features

• Raised Coral Atoll: A single oval-shaped raised coral limestone island with no natural harbours or sheltered bays.
• Phosphate Plateau: The interior contains rich phosphate deposits formed from centuries of accumulated bird guano, which historically formed the backbone of the country's economy.
• Mining Legacy: Extensive open-cast phosphate mining has degraded nearly four-fifths of the island, leaving a landscape of jagged limestone pinnacles.
• Buada Lagoon: A shallow inland brackish lagoon surrounded by a narrow fertile coastal strip supporting crops such as coconut, banana, and pandanus.
• Water Scarcity: The island has no rivers or streams and depends mainly on rainwater harvesting and imported freshwater due to its porous limestone terrain.