Nauru was a pleasant place

The thing about Nauru you should know is that Nauru is Pleasant Island. The first Westerner to visit Nauru was the British whaler John Fearn, who dropped anchor there in 1798. He was clearly impressed, calling it “Pleasant Island”. The island is ringed by the coral reef, which prevents it from having a port but makes it a fair bet for diving and snorkeling (the impact of phosphate mining, however, has wiped out much of the marine life).

Besides, Nauru’s small size also means that most people can easily explore the island on their own in a single day. It takes less than half an hour to drive around the island’s only main ring road, but most visitors will undoubtedly prefer to make frequent stops along the way. Hikers who venture off the main coastal road into the interior will encounter a moon-like landscape left behind from years of phosphate mining.