Phosphate mining in Banaba and Nauru

The economies of Banaba and Nauru have been almost wholly dependent on phosphate, which has led to environmental disaster on these islands, with 80% of the islands' surfaces having been strip-mined. The phosphate deposits were virtually exhausted by 2000, although some small-scale mining is still in progress on Nauru. Mining ended on Banaba in 1979.

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