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The changes in Nauruan society since the discovery of phosphate deposits have not been entirely positive, however. Mining has caused substantial environmental damage, and the population has experienced health problems that are attributed to higher levels of material consumption and a less active lifestyle.

When the Germans annexed the place in 1888 they had no time for the islanders' dancing and were quick to ban it. Many indigenous cultural practices have followed suit, and one form of culture is now beamed into homes from Television New Zealand through TV aerials or satellite dishes, of which there are plenty. Australian Rules football has almost the status of a religion, and some children are even named after the game's greats. Nauruan islanders are among the wealthiest in the world per head of population, and cars, refrigerators and other mod-cons are commonplace.

English and Nauruan, a unique Pacific language with recognisable elements of Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian, are spoken. English is the official language used for government and commerce. The clan was the traditional building block of Nauruan life, and today's electoral boundaries roughly represent traditional clan areas.

Revenues for Nauru come from exports of phosphates, but mining is slowing as reserves run down and is expected to cease within a few years.  Nauru is hoping to extend the life of phosphate reserves by mining secondary deposits but the economic viability of this is uncertain.  As few other resources exist, the country imports all its necessities.  The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems for Nauru. 

Profits from phosphate mining fell because of the stronger US dollar, as the impact of changes in the exchange rate on the cost of inputs was greater than the impact on reserves. With phosphate mining becoming less economic, the government attempted to develop other industries including offshore fishing, financial services, and tourism.  There are substantial fish resources in the water surrounding Nauru, but only a minimal commercial fishery base.  Revenue from fishing agreement license fees has increased substantially in recent years.

This roughly rectangular Pacific island nods its cap toward the north-east and blows out on its south-east shore, vaguely reminiscent of a downcast face in profile. Nauru's closest neighbour is Banaba in Kiribati, 306km (190mi) to the east. It lies 41km (25.5mi) south of the equator and is nearly 4000km (2480mi) north-east of Sydney, Australia. Nauru is the smallest republic in the world - think of seven New York City Central Parks dropped in the middle of the Pacific just south of the equator (with the skaters taken in for questioning and the topsoil scraped off), and you've got a rough idea of its size. There's a small section of vegetation around Buada Lagoon and a green fringe 50m to 100m (165ft to 328ft) around the coast where the bulk of the population lives, but the rest is either open-cut phosphate mine or a mined-out wasteland of mind-boggling proportions. As wastelands go, it is the wasteland to end them all, with weird coral monoliths punching their way out of cavernous pits, totally bereft of topsoil and baked hard under the equatorial sun. Nothing stirs except dust and packs of wild dogs. The rocks heat up and create their own microclimate, dispelling rain clouds and exacerbating the island's chronic water shortage. The central plateau (commonly called 'topside') rises 70m (230ft) above sea level.

Many migrating species of birds drop in to roost on Nauru, seasonally swelling the local population by thousands, although it would take another few million years to rebuild the deposits of guano that have been mined in one century. Most local species of birds are under immense pressure since the wasting of the island's ecology. An indigenous nightingale reed warbler is also known as the Nauru canary, and islanders often keep the local frigatebird, Nauru's national symbol, as a caged pet. There are no native mammals, but rats, cats and mice have inevitably followed the Europeans and taken up residence. Pandanus palms, coconut, frangipani and the Pacific banyan are common tree species, and 179 species of plants and trees have been recorded, among them the indigenous tomano tree, nesting place of the noddy bird, regarded both as a delicacy and a reliable guide to fishing grounds. Bananas, pineapples and some vegetables are grown on land surrounding Buada Lagoon, and thanks to reclamation using garbage and other waste as landfill, some of the mined-out area has reverted to bush. Small plants have recolonised some coral pinnacles, but as you might imagine, national parks are thin on the wasteland.