It’s time for “Name that Country.” I’ll give you clues, and when you recognize the nation, shout out its name. Although, if you happen to be in a public place, you may instead want to whisper the name softly or just nudge the person next to you and give them a knowing look.

Clue 1: It is located 25 miles south of the equator.

Clue 2: It has no official capital, but its government offices are in Yaren.

Clue 3: Although it receives 80 inches of annual rainfall, it has no rivers or streams, and the only drinkable water is what is captured on the rooftops.

Clue 4: Phosphate mining has left 80% of the land uninhabitable and uncultivable.[1]

Clue 5: There are slightly over 11,000 people living on its 8.1 square miles.[2]

Figure it out? How many of you said Kiribati? If you did, you’d be wrong. That comparatively massive island nation is our mystery country’s nearest neighbor. If you happened to find yourself standing on Kiribati’s Banaba Island at dawn, then all you would need to do is turn your back to the sun, dive in to the Pacific Ocean, swim for about 200 miles, and you would arrive at your destination—the island of Nauru.[3]

Okay, by a show of hands, how many of you got Nauru? Now, how many of you with your hands up got Nauru without using Google? If your hand is still up, let me applaud you. You truly know your world geography.

Why are we taking time to talk about the third-smallest nation in the world (only Monaco and Vatican City are smaller)? Because on August 16, this tiny nation made a huge diplomatic move. It presented a document to the United Nations, which stated in part, “The Mission of Nauru has the honour to convey the decision of the Government of the Republic of Nauru to formally recognize the City of Jerusalem as the Capital City of the State of Israel.”[4] Thus, Nauru became the third government in the current era to recognize Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. Not many days after, Honduras jumped on the bandwagon as number four by committing to move their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[5]

Not surprisingly, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee immediately went on the attack. “The Palestinian leadership . . . unequivocally condemns Nauru’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s ‘capital’ and considers it an extension of its shameful voting record at the United Nations on the Question of Palestine,” said committee member Hanan Ashwari.[6] The Nauruans have little to fear when it comes to reprisals, considering it takes more than 44 hours to make the multi-stop trip from the east coast of the Mediterranean to Nauru’s coral island.[7]

There are a growing number of other countries (Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania, Australia, and Brazil)[8] debating the pros and cons of following the United States, Guatemala, Nauru, and Honduras in their recognition of Jerusalem. My hope is that once a few more step up, a flood will follow. Until then, we’ll celebrate every victory. So, if you’re making plans for next year’s vacation, consider a trip to Nauru. And don’t worry if you wait until the last minute. As it is the least-visited country in the world with only 160 tourists a year, I doubt you’ll have any trouble getting reservations.[9]

-Joel

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[1] Foster, Sophie, and Robert C. Kiste. “Nauru.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 Sept. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/place/Nauru.

[2] “Nauru.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Sept. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauru.

[3] Foster and Kiste.

[4] Rotem, Yuval. “Israel Welcomes @Republic_Nauru’s Decision Recognizing #Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital.This Action Reflects the Close Ties and Friendship between Israel & #Nauru. We Hope to See More Countries Follow This Step. Pic.twitter.com/wpgfT0ggaY.” Twitter, 29 Aug. 2019, https://twitter.com/yuval_rotem/status/1166996961481887744?s=21.

[5] “Honduras Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital.” The Times of Israel, 28 Aug. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/honduras-recognizes-jerusalem-as-israels-capital/.

[6] JTA, and TOI Staff. “Nauru, World’s ‘Least-Visited Country,’ Recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital.” The Times of Israel, 29 Aug. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/republic-of-nauru-recognizes-jerusalem-as-capital-of-israel/.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.