THE ISLAND OF FUBAR

Nauru. Welcome to the world's smallest country - a tiny isolated rock in a remote part of the Pacific, right on the Equator, 8.1 square miles with 9,300 people living around its 10-mile circumference. No one lives in the interior and we'll soon find out why. Of all 193 Member States of the United Nations, Nauru is the smallest in population. Only Monaco (less than 1 square mile on the French Riviera) is smaller in area.
I wanted to reach the three most unknown and hidden nations in the South Pacific on this excursion. I found Tuvalu entrancing, and Tarawa in Kiribati repelling - but now I have made it all the way to the bottom of the Pacific's barrel.
I have been to almost all of those 193 UN countries (189 in fact), and I can confirm that Nauru is more FUBAR than any other. Actually, that's an understatement. You all know what the acronym means, and Nauru takes it to a whole new dimension, a higher standard of fubaredness than the rest of the world which is unlikely to be surpassed in our lifetimes if ever.
Better get comfortable in your favorite chair with at least three fingers of your favorite adult beverage at the ready to get through this. You'll find it hard to believe but this is a true story. Kafka himself couldn't have made it up, although he would have relished the irony in how it applies to us. The photos are all mine.
We'll start with what Nauru unbelievably looks like. Note the green strip around the perimeter and the vast gray uninhabited interior.
