Geography Quiz Arcade

Capital of Nauru: Yaren — Facts & 5-Question Quiz

The capital of Nauru is Yaren. Nauru sits in Oceania, has a population of 12,668, and uses the AUD. Official languages include Nauruan, English.

Quick facts

  • Capital: Yaren
  • Continent: Oceania
  • Population: ~12,668
  • Area: 21 km²
  • Population density: 603 people per km²
  • Official languages: Nauruan, English
  • Currency: AUD
  • ISO code: NR

How big is Nauru?

By population, Nauru ranks 195th in the world, holding roughly well under a hundredth of a percent of all people on Earth. By land area it ranks 195th.

Those two numbers rarely match, and the gap between them is the interesting part. Nauru has 603 people per square kilometre, which is about 10 times the world average of 59.4. Its population and area ranks line up exactly, which is uncommon.

Within Oceania, Nauru is the 13th most populous country of 14.

Countries of a similar size

The two countries closest to Nauru in population are Tuvalu (11,312) and Palau (18,055).

By land area, its closest counterparts are Tuvalu (26 km²) and Monaco (2 km²).

Comparisons like these are worth more than raw figures when you are trying to remember them. A number on its own is hard to hold; a number next to a country you already have a feel for is much easier.

Language and currency

Nauruan is listed as an official language of Nauru alone, which is unusual — most official languages are shared across borders.

The AUD is not unique to Nauru — it is also used by Australia, Kiribati and Tuvalu. Shared currencies usually mark a monetary union or a long-standing peg, and they are a useful shortcut in quizzes: get one country's currency and you often get several.

How to remember Nauru

Nauru has no official capital. Quizzes give Yaren, the district where the parliament and government offices are, which makes it the capital in practice. The flag is a little map: the gold line is the equator and the star is Nauru, sitting just south of it.

The flag of Nauru: dark blue, gold and white

🇳🇷 The flag is a dark blue flag with a thin gold horizontal stripe across the middle and a white 12-pointed star below it on the left. Blue stands for the Pacific Ocean. The gold stripe is the equator and the star shows where Nauru lies, just below it. The 12 points stand for the 12 original tribes of Nauru, and the white stands for phosphate, the rock that made the island rich.

Region and neighbours

Nauru is a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia, just south of the equator. As an island country it has no land neighbours.

Three facts about Nauru

  1. With an area of only about 21 km², Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, after Vatican City and Monaco.
  2. Nauru is a phosphate-rock island, and mining the phosphate near the surface once brought it great wealth but left much of the interior bare.
  3. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba, an island of Kiribati, about 300 km to the east.

Sources: Wikipedia: Nauru, Wikipedia: Flag of Nauru, Wikipedia: Yaren, CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Nauru

Nauru capital quiz

  1. What is the capital of Nauru 🇳🇷?

    • Palikir
    • Port Moresby
    • Yaren
    • Funafuti
    Show answer

    Yaren

  2. What is the capital of Tuvalu 🇹🇻?

    • Funafuti
    • Honiara
    • Suva
    • Tarawa
    Show answer

    Funafuti

  3. What is the capital of Palau 🇵🇼?

    • Funafuti
    • Majuro
    • Ngerulmud
    • Honiara
    Show answer

    Ngerulmud

  4. What is the capital of Marshall Islands 🇲🇭?

    • Majuro
    • Port Vila
    • Funafuti
    • Canberra
    Show answer

    Majuro

  5. What is the capital of Tonga 🇹🇴?

    • Palikir
    • NukuÊ»alofa
    • Apia
    • Honiara
    Show answer

    Nukuʻalofa

Nauru in Oceania

The largest countries by population sharing this continent are Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji.

If you are learning capitals region by region — far more effective than working alphabetically — Oceania is the block Nauru belongs to, and its neighbours are the ones worth learning alongside it.

Try the Country to Capital Quiz, or the harder reverse direction. There is also a full country profile for Nauru.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Nauru?

The capital of Nauru is Yaren.

What is the population of Nauru?

About 12,668, making it the 195th most populous country in the world.

How big is Nauru?

21 square kilometres, ranking 195th by land area, at a density of 603 people per square kilometre.

What currency does Nauru use?

The AUD, shared with 3 other countries.

What are the colours of the Nauru flag?

The flag of Nauru is a dark blue flag with a thin gold horizontal stripe across the middle and a white 12-pointed star below it on the left. Blue stands for the Pacific Ocean. The gold stripe is the equator and the star shows where Nauru lies, just below it. The 12 points stand for the 12 original tribes of Nauru, and the white stands for phosphate, the rock that made the island rich.

Which countries border Nauru?

None. Nauru is a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean, in Micronesia, just south of the equator, so it has no land borders with other countries.

How can I remember the capital of Nauru?

Nauru has no official capital. Quizzes give Yaren, the district where the parliament and government offices are, which makes it the capital in practice. The flag is a little map: the gold line is the equator and the star is Nauru, sitting just south of it.

More capitals to learn

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