Nauru

Nauru is an isolated coral island just south of the equator. A narrow coastal belt surrounds its higher interior, and a fringing reef borders the shore. Nauruans lived on the island long before European ships entered these waters, fishing and cultivating food on their small island. In 1798 Captain John Fearn sighted Nauru from the Hunter and named it Pleasant Island; islanders paddled out through the surf with fruit and coconuts.