country on an island in the W Pacific, just south of the equator: associated with the Commonwealth & formerly (1947-68) a United Nations trust territory: 8 sq mi (21 sq km); pop. 8,000
An island country of the central Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of Kiribati. Inhabited by a population of mainly Polynesian ancestry, Nauru was explored by the British in 1798 and became a German protectorate in 1888. Nauru was administered by Australia from 1914 until it became independent in 1968. The capital is Yaren. Population: 13,500.