The Pacific island nation that is the third-smallest country by area is Nauru. Located in Micronesia in the central Pacific, Nauru covers about 21 square kilometres, placing it behind only Vatican City and Monaco among sovereign states by area.
Nauru is a raised coral island rather than a typical volcanic island or a ring-shaped atoll. A surrounding reef creates a narrow coastal belt, while extensive phosphate deposits once made the interior economically valuable. Mining generated exceptional wealth after independence, but the industry later declined and left much of the island’s central plateau heavily altered.
Nauru became independent in 1968 after being administered under a League of Nations mandate and later a United Nations trusteeship by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It is the world’s smallest independent republic and the smallest island country by area.
A common mix-up is Tuvalu, another very small Pacific country. Tuvalu has a larger land area—about 26 square kilometres—so it ranks behind Nauru. Nauru also has no officially designated capital; government offices are concentrated in the Yaren District.