HONG KONG, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Nauru announced Monday that it will recognize the one-China principle and sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan.

Nauru is an island country in the Central Pacific with a land area of 21.1 square kilometers and a marine exclusive economic zone of 320,000 square kilometers.

Nauru's population is about 13,000. Most of them are of Micronesian origin, and the rest are of other Pacific Islander, Chinese, Filipino and European descents. There are also approximately 2,000 Nauruans currently living in Australia.

English is the official language of the country and Nauruan is commonly spoken. The majority of its residents are Protestant with a minority of Catholics.

Nauruans have lived on the island for generations. In 1798, a British ship arrived in Nauru. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand, and Britain. From 1942 to 1945, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops and became a United Nations trust territory in 1947. Nauru declared independence on Jan. 31, 1968.

Nauru is a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The president is both the head of state and the head of government and is elected by the parliament from its members. The government consists of the president and his appointed ministers, and is accountable to parliament.

Nauru's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 was 150 million U.S. dollars with a per capita of about 12,000 dollars.

In 2022, the trade volume between China and Nauru hit around 13.19 million dollars, a year-on-year increase of 15.89 percent. Among them, China's export to Nauru was over 13 million dollars, a rise of 16 percent.