Island Ring Road

One road runs around the outside of Nauru, roughly nineteen kilometres of it, and everything on the island that is not mined interior sits along it: the districts, the houses, the churches, the airport runway, the harbour and the shore. Driving round takes half an hour without stopping. It is the simplest way to see the whole country and most people do it at least once.

History

Micronesians settled Nauru at least 3,000 years ago, and its long isolation gave it a language of its own; there were traditionally twelve clans, the twelve points of the star on the national flag, and islanders raised young milkfish in fresh water in Buada Lagoon. The British captain John Fearn, the first Westerner to report the island, named it Pleasant Island in 1798, and whalers called for water and food from at least 1826. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 by the prospector Albert Ellis, and the Pacific Phosphate Company began mining it in 1906, sending its first shipment in 1907 (Wikipedia, Nauru).

What to look for

• The full circuit - nineteen kilometres around the entire country.
• The coastal strip - every district on the island strung along the road.
• The airport - the runway the road runs directly alongside.
• The interior edge - the mined ground rising on the inland side.

When to go

March to October is the drier season. Mornings and evenings are cooler for cycling or walking. November to February brings heavier weather.

What to expect

There is no footpath and the road is shared with traffic and dogs. Shade is patchy and the heat is serious in the middle of the day. It is a short circuit and half a day is generous.

Nearby

Yaren is on the south, and Anibare is on the east.

Key facts