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As his nation’s lone athlete at the Paris Olympics, Winzar Kakiouea carries an additional burden: Most people have no idea that his country is a country.
Also, his homeland could one day disappear into the ocean.
First, a brief geography primer: Nauru, with a population of less than 13,000, is an island nation perched in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Once known as Pleasant Island, Nauru (pronounced NO-roo, not Nah-oo-roo) gained its independence in 1968, after a period of trusteeship by the United Nations.