Nauru customs

The Republic of Nauru (Nauru: Ripublik Naoero) is referred to as Nauru, located in the Micronesia Islands in the central and western South Pacific Ocean and is known as the "Paradise Island". Nauru has an area of only 24 ² and is the smallest island country in the world.

The highest altitude in Nauru is 70 meters. There are no rivers on Nauru Island. The only lake, Lake Buada, is also a saltwater lake. Although there is a lot of precipitation, the surface of the island is very permeable, so there is almost no fresh water on the island, and drinking water needs to be imported. Nauru has a tropical rainforest climate, with forests accounting for 40%, temperatures of 24-38℃, and average annual precipitation of 1500 mm.

Over the past thousands of years, countless seabirds have come to inhabit this small island, leaving a large amount of bird droppings on the island. Over the years, bird droppings have undergone chemical changes and become a layer of high-quality fertilizer up to 10 meters thick. People call it a "phosphate mine". Three-fifths of the island is covered by phosphate, with only a narrow flat line along the coast.

The Naurans are a branch of the Micronian people, a mixed type of Malais, Melanesians and Polynesians. Therefore, Nauruan people have the characteristics of Polynesians. They are strong, have thick black hair, and have brown skin. They are a very special race. Men are on average more than 1.7 meters tall, and women are slightly shorter. They are hospitable and are good at growing coconut trees and catching and training "navigation birds". With phosphate reserves depleted and the environmental degradation caused by mining, coupled with the impairment of wealth funds managed across the island, the Nauru government has turned to some unusual methods to generate revenue.

English is the official language and Nauru is commonly spoken. Nauru is Nauru's national language and is a special Pacific island language spoken by approximately 96% of Nauruans at home. Since Nauruan is only spoken in the country, English is widely spoken, especially in government and business.

The main religious belief of Nauruans is Christianity (two-thirds are Protestant and one-third Catholic), and about 10% are Baha'i, the highest proportion in the world. Another 9% are Buddhist and 2.2% are Muslim. The Constitution clearly states that people enjoy religious freedom, but there are certain circumstances where the government will restrict this right, such as restricting the activities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses, who are mainly foreign workers employed by the government's Nauru Phosphate Company.

Supported by generous government wages and low living expenses, Nauruans enjoy a leisure life that is envied by other Pacific island countries. Working hours are casual, a golf course has been built on one of the only remaining green spaces on the island, and three channels of national television have prepared various entertainment programs for the islanders. However, the most popular way to pass the time on the island is to drive around the island road, which is only a 20-minute drive away, drink imported beer and throw empty wine cans out of the window. A more active way is to lift weights and raise a fish. seabirds, but Nauruans no longer need them to fish for a living. In Camperi, the island's largest shopping mall, there are three times more biscuits than fruits and vegetables on food shelves; greasy fried food is also popular in restaurants.

Not surprisingly, Nauru has become a typical case in obesity and diabetes research. Nauru's citizens have become one of the most obese people in the world, and the incidence of diabetes ranks first in the world: approximately 50% of Nauruans have diabetes. Although this is related to genetics, there is no doubt that Nauruan people's lazy lifestyle and high-fat diet are also important triggers. Life expectancy for men on the island fell to 53 years, more than 20 years shorter than in neighbouring New Zealand.

In order to call on people to stay healthy, former Nauru President Harris began walking and exercising on the island's one-kilometer airport runway. But the move did not attract the attention of the islanders, who all went to watch an open-air beauty contest called "Big is Beautiful". President Harris himself was injured during his first exercise and was sent to Australia for emergency treatment.

A diplomat from a Western country commented: "This is an inevitable consequence of the people living there not seeing the need to work, because everything depends on the state."

The symbol of Nauru's prosperity is the large number of cars, with an average of two cars per family, even though there is only one road on the entire island! Every home has modern equipment, such as gas stoves, washing machines, televisions, refrigerators, video recorders, etc. Although wealthy, most Nauruans still live in government-built housing for families with many children. Each couple in Nauru has an average of 4-5 children.

The symbol of extravagance and waste of the people of Nauru is reflected in their size. According to statistics, 90% of Nauru people are obese. Most men over the age of 30 weigh more than 150 kilograms. Why? Because the traditional food on the island has been replaced by imported food provided by the country. Meat from Australia is cheaper in Nauru than in Melbourne, and even fish has to be imported!

Changes in food composition are slowly killing Nauruans. Their average life expectancy is only 55 years. Most people suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease. 30% of people over the age of 25 suffer from diabetes. The country is the creator of these diseases! The government receives half of the profits from phosphate revenue and uses it to feed its own people.

The era of waste began in the era of President Hamer de Robert. He nationalized phosphate mines in order to benefit people across the country. The huge mistake of President De Robert and his successors was to establish the most extensive welfare system in the world. For a small amount of money, Nauruans can get housing, water, electricity, telephones and medical services. There are two hospitals on the island, and patients all require the care of experts from Australia, and the expenses are borne by the state.

There is no need to pay for school, and many people study in foreign schools, all of which are provided by the state. It costs $22000 to train a college student, and only 13% of them can get a college degree...

Nauru Airlines was established two years after independence. In 1980, the company owned five Boeing aircraft. Public opinion points out that President DeRobert regarded those aircraft as his own modern car. People spend very little money to fly. As a result, the company has lost hundreds of millions of dollars since its inception. In 1995, the company sold three Boeing aircraft.

When revenue from phosphate mines declined, President Bernard Dowiyogo, who served from 1989 to 1994, not only did not dissolve airlines and lay off government staff, but added government staff!

Considering that phosphate ore resources will gradually be exhausted by the end of the 20th century, the DeRobert government decided to retain a large portion of mineral revenue for investment, hoping that future generations of the Nauru people will continue to enjoy the benefits of resources through this brilliant plan. However, more than 30 years later, they have only made small-scale investments: a brewery in Solomon Island, 250 hectares of forest in Oregon, an office building in Washington, and a 51-story building in Melbourne, Australia.