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This page was last updated on 19 June 2008
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| Introduction | Nauru | Top of Page

Background: | The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

| Geography | Nauru | Top of Page

Location: | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: | 0 32 S, 166 55 E
Map references: | Oceania
Area: | total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 30 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain: | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Natural resources: | phosphates, fish
Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land: | NA
Natural hazards: | periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: | limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: | Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator

| People | Nauru | Top of Page

Population: | 13,770 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 2,492/female 2,393) 15-64 years: 62.5% (male 4,237/female 4,363) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 148/female 137) (2008 est.)
Median age: | total: 21.3 years male: 20.7 years female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.772% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: | 24.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | NA
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 63.81 years male: 60.2 years female: 67.6 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups: | Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religions: | Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Languages: | Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Literacy: | NA

| Government | Nauru | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
Government type: | republic
Capital: | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: | 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution: | 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)
Legal system: | acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage: | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 19 December 2007 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held in 2010) election results: NA
Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18; note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; note - loose multiparty system
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074 FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079 consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag description: | blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru

| Economy | Nauru | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $60 million (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $NA
GDP - real growth rate: | NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $5,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force - by occupation: | note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)
Unemployment rate: | 90% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | -3.6% (1993)
Budget: | revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Agriculture - products: | coconuts
Industries: | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 30 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption: | 27.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 1,050 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 1,023 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Exports: | $64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | phosphates
Exports - partners: | South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)
Imports: | $20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners: | South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $20 million mostly from Australia (2005)
Debt - external: | $33.3 million (2002)
Currency (code): | Australian dollar (AUD)
Exchange rates: | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June

| Communications | Nauru | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 1,500 (2002)
Telephone system: | general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Internet country code: | .nr
Internet hosts: | 53 (2007)
Internet users: | 300 (2002)

| Transportation | Nauru | Top of Page

Airports: | 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways: | total: 30 km
Ports and terminals: | Nauru

| Military | Nauru | Top of Page

Military branches: | no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2008)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA
Military - note: | Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

| Transnational Issues | Nauru | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 19 June 2008