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Yaren

Capital of NauruYaren is a small district of about 1.5 km² on the south coast of Nauru, a single island just south of the equator. Its neighbours are Buada to the north, Meneng to the east and Boe to the west.

Why it's the capital

Nauru's Parliament House and main government offices are in Yaren, so it serves as the capital in practice. The United Nations accepts it as Nauru's 'main district'.

Fun facts

  1. Yaren's original name, Makwa or Moqua, refers to Moqua Well, an underground lake and a main source of drinking water for the Nauruan people.
  2. Nauru International Airport is in Yaren, and so is the Naoero Museum, the national museum of Nauru.
  3. Japanese guns from the Second World War can be seen in Yaren.

Finding it on the globe

Look just south of the equator, west-south-west of Tarawa in Kiribati. Nauru is a single small island there, and Yaren is on its southern shore.

Easy to mix up

Nauru has no official capital and no cities, so some maps leave the capital out; Yaren is the de facto capital.

Sources: Wikipedia: Yaren District