Why did Nauru, a strange island country, get rich from bird shit, but became a country of beggars? The reason you may not think
> > Can you believe it? There is actually a country in the world that got rich from bird shit. It not only became a world power, but also crushed the United States at its peak and became one of the richest countries in the world. However, in just a few decades, huge wealth has been squandered. It has become a notorious country of beggars. This wonderful country is Nauru, a small island that has been occupied many times in history and is still full of bird shit. How did it get rich? How did it become the laughing stock of the world? >
Nauru is a typical Pacific island country with a territory of only 21 square kilometers and a total population of only 13,000. To be honest, it is not as big as a village in China, but it is such a country, which also directly crossed from primitive society. Going to the upstart country of modern civilization, but the past experience is stunned. Nauru was originally just a small island without a sense of existence, except for the aborigines and bird droppings everywhere, there is almost nothing, it is isolated from the world, with a radius of 140 Ten thousand square kilometers are seawater. These seabirds have no place to settle, and can only inhabit Nauru. Over time, Nauru is covered with bird droppings. The seabirds have turned Nauru into a "bird" by themselves. Shit heaven", also made Nauru a "sweet pastry", what is the magic of bird poop? Let's look down.
do you know? The bird droppings on Nauru Island turned out to be "sweet pastry", and it also attracted the crazy occupation of the colonists. In 1798, a British ship accidentally passed by and discovered the existence of Nauru and broke the peace here. The British also called it "Happy Island", but there were other reasons for attracting colonists. A geologist once published a paper that shocked the academic world. It turned out that he wrote in the paper that he had discovered a Phosphate mines are everywhere, a small island that can’t be dug for a hundred years, and this small island is in the Pacific Ocean, so many colonists are eyeing this place. You must know that phosphate mines are very rare, and it is very difficult to excavate. If Nauru The island is full of phosphate rock, isn't that the lifeblood of the economy?
At first, Nauru Island was occupied by Germany and mined wildly for many years. With the outbreak of World War I, it was quickly occupied by the British. After making a lot of money, Nauru Island was occupied by Japan during World War II. , Phosphate mines were continuously mined, and Nauru was constantly being occupied by other countries. It was not until 1964 that Nauruans finally started to resist. After achieving national independence, they also recovered their own phosphate mining rights. Well, in the first year of independence, the Nauruans dug up the total mining volume of the German colonists for 30 years. Even the colonists knew that they had to control the mining, so as to achieve sustainable development, but the Nauruans who are crazy poor But regardless of it, a country that was on the verge of bankruptcy became rich overnight, but why is it now a country of beggars? Let's look down.
Can you imagine what kind of experience it is to send 1 million per person per year? Why is a country that got rich from bird shit become the laughing stock of the world? In the 1970s, Nauru could earn nearly 600 million yuan a year by exporting phosphate rock resources alone, and its per capita GDP could reach 850,000 yuan, four times the per capita GDP of the United States. A 52-story building was built in Melbourne, and an international airport and golf course were built. The population of the island was not enough to 10,000, so they even got 5 planes.
Who would have thought that this inconspicuous island country has become the highest-income country in the world in just ten years. However, it is bizarre that Nauru has been eaten up by the people. Because there is no shortage of money, so the people on the island I enjoy it every day, and it didn’t take long for it to become the fattest country in the world. Coupled with the uncontrolled mining of phosphate rock, the island’s mineral resources have been severely damaged. Seabirds have fewer places to live, and bird droppings Naturally, phosphate rock can no longer be formed, and people on Nauru Island began to sit and eat.
As the saying goes, "From thrift to luxury is easy, from luxury to thrift is difficult", and Nauru has gradually shouldered a lot of debt and has become a notorious country of beggars. When it comes to this, some people may have doubts, what is the relationship between bird shit and phosphate rock? Woolen cloth? Here is a popular science with you. After bird droppings land on the island, it reacts with calcium carbonate and gradually forms phosphate rock. It is understood that two-thirds of Nauru is covered with phosphate rock, but they do not know how to Take a long-term view, and this leads to a bad hand. What do you think of this? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area below, see you next time!