The world’s smallest island republic searches for a sustainable future... but is money laundering or 'warehousing' Australia's unwanted boat people the answer? Too small to mint its own currency, Nauru for a time became a tax haven, attracting international money launderers.

The prosperity of this tiny equatorial nation originally relied on phosphate rock, that is, ossified bird droppings, a mineral resource now almost depleted. Inside the reef, a lush equatorial coastline belies the moonscape of the heavily-mined interior. Nauru's few visitors can fish for marlin, yellowfin tuna, skipjack and barracuda. Since my last visit in 2000, Nauru has allowed the Australian government to build an offshore detention camp for illegal immigrants, "boat people" who land unbidden on Australian shores.

Images more recent than these are few and far between, since the Nauru government now imposes punitive visa fees as a deterrent to journalists and photographers intent on documenting conditions in the controversial detention camp, where many detainees - not charged with any crime - have languished for as long as 3 years.

Original images were 35mm Fujichrome or Ektachrome transparencies. Hi-res. scans are available for licensing.