Nauru Abandons Taiwan for China... 'The Country Made from Bird Poop'

The Smallest Island Nation in the South Pacific, 'Nauru'
One of the Wealthiest Countries Until the Early 1980s
Only One Employee Working at the Tourism Board

After Lai Ching-te, the pro-American and pro-independence candidate from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was elected in the Taiwan presidential election, the small South Pacific island nation of Nauru reportedly severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and announced the restoration of diplomatic relations with China, according to foreign media. With Nauru's departure, Taiwan's diplomatic allies have been reduced to 12 countries, including Guatemala, Paraguay, and Eswatini.

On the 16th, the Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) introduced Nauru as a "country made of bird droppings." The Republic of Nauru, which gained independence in 1968, is a remote island nation in the Pacific located about 4 hours and 30 minutes by plane from Australia. Nauru consists of a single island. Its national area is 20.98 km², making it the third smallest country in the world after Vatican City (0.44 km²) and Monaco (2 km²). It takes only about 30 minutes by car to drive around the circular road along the island's coast.

With a population of about 13,000, it is the second smallest country in the world after Vatican City. It is the smallest island nation in the South Pacific, the smallest country in the world excluding Europe, and the smallest island country and republic. Due to its very small size, there is no legally designated capital, but Yaren, the most bustling administrative district, functions as the capital.

Nauru has no public transportation. The island is so small that it takes about 5 to 6 hours to walk around it. Nauru has no protected areas, World Heritage sites, rivers, a 30 km long road, or military forces. However, this small island nation does have a railway. A 3.9 km railway was built to transport phosphate. Thanks to the abundant "phosphorite" on the island, Nauru was one of the wealthiest countries in the world until the early 1980s. In 1981, Nauru's per capita income reached $17,000 (at that time, South Korea was $1,088 and Japan $9,834), and it is said that all citizens drove BMWs and even shopped in Hawaii by private plane. However, now it has become a poor country where even electricity is intermittently cut off.

Nauru is a country made from "bird droppings." On a nameless coral island jutting out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, migratory birds traveling between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres began to defecate. The droppings accumulated and formed land. People began to live on that land, and over time, it became the Republic of Nauru. Through the chemical combination of coral reefs, bird droppings, seawater, and many years, the soil covering Nauru transformed into phosphate, an important raw material for chemical fertilizers. Phosphate is a crucial functional additive in food that helps maintain the firmness of meat and is an essential mineral in chemical fertilizers that aid fruit growth, playing an absolute role in increasing global agricultural production.

The SPTO said, "Nauru warmly welcomes every visitor who comes here. Tourism staff personally handle every visitor’s consultation, reservation, management, and transportation one-on-one," adding, "Although there is only one employee working at the tourism office, this special care is possible because the number of travelers visiting Nauru is very small." They continued, "Although the phosphorite that once brought them unimaginable wealth has disappeared, they are now earnestly living by utilizing even its traces in tourism."