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.
Na·u'ru·an adj. & n.
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