Nice Little Nauru Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fort Meade

At 21 square kilometers, Nauru is about the size of Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, USA. It is such a small country that all of the incorrect answers, Disneyworld, Tokyo, and Lake Baikal, are all larger than the island nation. What's more, the large majority of the island is uninhabitable, making it even smaller than it already is.

To top it all off, Nauru could be one of the first places threatened by rising ocean levels. Seeing as most of the population live near the coast, Nauru could be seriously threatened if climate change causes ocean levels to rise out of control.

Answer: Capital

As you may have noticed in the question, all of the capital letters were missing, deliberately. Likewise, Nauru has not officially declared a capital city. This is partly because Nauru doesn't have any cities. Nevertheless, Yaren, a district that houses the national stadium, the country's international airport, as well as the government buildings, is considered the de facto capital, or, as the United Nations calls it, the main district.

Answer: Yellow

On a field of blue which represents the Pacific ocean, a thin horizontal yellow line crosses in the middle representing the equator. A twelve-pointed white star is to the left just below the equator signifying how Nauru is about one degree south, while the twelve points signify the twelve tribes of Nauru and the white represents the phosphates that made the country prosperous in the past.

The flag was designed and chosen in a competition when Nauru became independent since none of the colonial flags were deemed proper to hoist. It is twice as long as it is tall and is reportedly well-liked by citizens of Nauru.

Answer: France

The Germans were permitted to annex Nauru in 1888 with agreement by the British. The island was absorbed into the New Guinea Protectorate and the Germans were the first to start mining the island for its resources. In World War I, the island was captured by the Australians; they were granted a mandate over the island along with the British and New Zealand, but, in actuality, it was only the Australians who administered the island.

In World War II the island was invaded successfully by Japanese troops. While seemingly an insignificant island, there were a number of skirmishes over Nauru which affected the local population. Additionally, the Japanese treated the native Nauruans very badly, killing some and taking away others for forced labour. Following the war and the surrender of Japan, Nauru was turned over to the Allied forces and was once again administered by the Australians until its independence.

Answer: An underground lake

The Moqua Well is a subterranean freshwater lake that supplies most of the drinking water to the islanders. It stores rainwater and prevents evaporation, for the most part. It is accessible through the Moqua Caves, but was fenced off in 2001 when someone drowned there.

The Moqua Well can be found not far from the airport, in the main district of Yaren.

Answer: Phosphates

In 1907 developers began mining phosphates from Nauru. Abundant because of guano droppings, the phosphates from Nauru were considered by many to be the highest quality in the world. The mining was so intense that Nauruans did not diversify their industry. In the early 1980s, their GDP was the highest per capita in the world.

When the phosphates ran out, the people of Nauru were strapped. With no other industry to turn to, this island quickly became one of the poorest countries in the world. At one point, an unemployment rate of 90% was recorded. 80% of the island was deemed uninhabitable, and, yea, the pictures of the inner island look like something out of a science fiction novel.

Answer: False

Tourism has not been a major industry in Nauru, and, even more so now that the island is ravaged, the Nauruan government limits the number of tourists to visit every year. What's interesting is that Queen Elizabeth II is one of the few to actually get to visit the island. On her 1982 tour of the Pacific, she stopped on Nauru for a brief visit. At that time, Nauru was booming, so she probably had a very pleasant time.

Only about 200 tourists come to Nauru every year. There are very few hotels, few restaurants, and not many things to do. Deep-sea fishing and wreck diving seem to be popular. It's far wiser to rent a bike than a car. You could circle Nauru in a car in about half an hour, but with a bike you could do it in two or three.

Answer: Summer

Being just south of the equator, the months of December through February are considered to be the summer months of Nauru. They are rainier than any other season, with an average of 270mm of rain per month. Spring (September to November) is the driest season with about 113mm of rain on average for those months.

Answer: Japanese WWII relics

When the Japanese took over Nauru in 1942, they set up an observation strong-point atop Command Ridge, hence the name. When they surrendered the island back to the Australians in 1945, they left much of their military gear on the hill. This includes an abandoned communications outpost, a pair of rotating anti-ship guns, and other ordinance.

Known in Nauruan as Janor, this 65m-high hill is the highest point of Nauru. Most countries have buildings higher than that.

Answer: Location

Denigomodu is the most populous of the fourteen districts of Nauru, mainly because of the large expat housing area called the Location. As the Nauruan law dictates, a non-citizen may not own land on the island. Neither can, actually, the government. All land on Nauru is owned by its citizens. The Location houses expats who enter a lease with the Nauru Phosphate Corporation. These are mainly workers at the phosphate mining operations.

In 2020, Denigomodu had fewer than 2500 inhabitants. While the most populous place on Nauru, it can hardly be called a city. Denigomodu has the only hospital on the island.