This map of Nauru, the world's smallest independent republic and the least populous member of the United Nations, was compiled and drawn by J.D. Hutchison, who also did the surveying, in 1926. Nauru was rich in phosphate, a mineral valued for its agricultural uses and sought by farmers in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. The map shows the lands held by various interests including the Nauruans, the British Phosphate Commission, the colonial government, and the missionaries. Formerly, Nauru was called Pleasant Island, the name given to it by John Fearn, a British whaling captain who became the first westerner to visit the island in 1798.