YarenCapital
Nauru · Country profile
Yaren is the de facto capital of Nauru, the tiny coral island nation of the central Pacific, a district of low government buildings, the ribbon of the single ring road, the phosphate-era relics and the calm houses of the south-western coast that serves as the seat of the presidency, the parliament and the ministries of one of the smallest republics on earth. The whole country is a single raised atoll, no more than a few hours around its coast, so the capital district and the island itself are effectively one place: the parliament house beside the lagoon, the old moorings and the phosphate works, the Japanese war relics and the green ridges of the interior all sit within a walk of each other. It is a strange and genuinely rare destination, visited only by the handful of travellers who cross the Pacific to see it. Tiny, isolated and quietly proud, Yaren represents the whole intriguing story of a country on the edge of memory.
About Yaren
Yaren is the capital of Nauru. The city's documented population is around 747 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD) and Nauruan and English are spoken; the dialling code is +674.
The Parliament of the House and the District of the Government
The capital is less a city than a stretch of the island road, so the essential day is the entire island: the ring of the coast with its beaches, its wrecks, its moorings and its phosphate scars, the government district of the parliament and the ministries along the seafront, and the climb into the interior to the lagoon of the Buada and the ruined pinnacles of the phosphate plateau. The parliament of the house, the old wharf and the concrete relics of the war, the local market of the Saturday and the aircraft you may see landing by the airport road complete the odd, quiet circuit. With one airport, one road and a single world of the island, Yaren makes a genuinely singular stop.
The Moorings of the Anchorage and the Road of the Ring
The climate is the warm equatorial of the Pacific, with the heavy rains of the monsoon season and the drier, sunnier months of the early year the pleasantest window, and the whole island truly needs only light, breathable clothing and reef shoes for the beaches and the lagoons. The Australian dollar is the currency and the English the language of the country, and entry is limited by the small, infrequent flights, so planning well ahead is the essential step. The parliament, the lagoon and the coast make the visits, and the smallness of the place means every landmark of the nation lies within the day. Respect for the private houses, cash for the little shops and patience with the schedules complete the simple preparation for this remote capital.
The Lagoon of the Buada and the Pinnacles of the Phosphate
The parliament of the house, the low modern chamber by the coast road that holds the eighteen members of the tiny legislature of the nation, and the nearby offices of the ministries and of the presidency mark the seat of the government, while the district of the Yaren of the airport road works as the functional heart of the island with the state house, the banks and the main churches of the country. The remains of the phosphates, the dark coral pinnacles of the interior plateau that the mining left standing among the scrub, tell the extraordinary economic history of the island, and the buoys and the moorings of the anchorage off the coast carry the fleets of the fishing and the transshipment by which the modern state survives, while the lagoon of the Buada, the tiny freshwater lake of the interior with its fish and its birds, offers the green contrast to the coral. The whole island, less than an hour around its ring road, holds the war relics of the Japanese guns, the deep blue coastline and the astonishing phosphate country of the centre. Extremely small, extremely unique and completely unforgettable, Yaren is the capital of a country the whole world has nearly forgotten.
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- Country
- Nauru
- Population
- 747
- Capital
- Yaren
- Region
- Oceania
- Currency
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- Languages
- Nauruan, English
- Calling code
- +674
- Country code
- NR
Frequently asked questions
Is Yaren the capital of Nauru?
Yes — Yaren is the capital of Nauru.
What currency do I need in Yaren?
The local currency is the Australian Dollar (AUD). Languages spoken in Nauru include Nauruan and English.
What is the dialling code for Nauru?
The international dialling code for Nauru is +674.
Flying out of Yaren? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.