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Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic.

[edit] Geography

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
water: 0 sq km
land: 21 sq km

Area - comparative 

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

30 km

Maritime claims 

contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate 

tropical; monsoonal; 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% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

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
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

[edit] People

Population 

12,329 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 39.6% (male 2,515; female 2,366)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 3,578; female 3,656)
65 years and over: 1.7% (male 108; female 106) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

1.96% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

26.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

10.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 61.57 years
female: 65.26 years (2002 est.)
male: 58.05 years

Total fertility rate 

3.5 children born/woman (2002 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 

definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island

Government type 

republic

Capital 

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

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

Legal system 

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law

Suffrage 

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch 

chief of state: Acting President Derog GIOURA (since 10 March 2003) following death of President Bernard DOWIYOGO note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 8 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2004); following Rene HARRIS' resignation, Bernard DOWIYOGO was elected president
election results: Rene HARRIS elected president; percent of Parliamentary vote - NA%; replaced by Bernard DOWIYOGO 9 January 2003 following a no-confidence vote; HARRIS reinstated 17 January 2003, then gives up presidency 18 January and DOWIYOGO is elected president; DOWIYOGO dies 10 March 2003; with 9 votes over 8 for Kinza CLODUMAR, Derog GIOURA was named acting president
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament
head of government: Acting President Derog GIOURA (since 10 March 2003) following death of President Bernard DOWIYOGO note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch 

unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2003)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 18

Judicial branch 

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders 

loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO]

Political pressure groups and leaders 

NA

International organization participation 

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone: (212) 937-0074
consulate(s): Hagatna (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

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within a few years. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. 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 have been invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. The government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has called for a freeze on wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. Tens of billions of dollars have been channeled through their accounts. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's per capita GDP varying widely.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

NA%

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

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) (1993)

Labor force - by occupation 

employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation

Unemployment rate 

0%

Budget 

revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)

Industries 

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate 

NA%

Electricity - production 

30 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

27.9 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

coconuts

Exports 

$25.3 million f.o.b. (1991)

Exports - commodities 

phosphates

Exports - partners 

NZ, Australia, South Korea, US (2000)

Imports 

$21.1 million c.i.f. (1991)

Imports - commodities 

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners 

Australia, US, UK, Indonesia, India (2000)

Debt - external 

$33.3 million

Economic aid - recipient 

$2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)

Currency 

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code 

AUD

Exchange rates 

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002) 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)

Fiscal year 

1 July - 30 June

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

2,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

450 (1994)

Telephone system 

general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios 

7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (1997)

Televisions 

500 (1997)

Internet country code 

.nr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

1 (2000)

Internet users 

NA

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 5 km
note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001)

Highways 

total: 30 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Nauru

Merchant marine 

none (2002 est.)

Airports 

1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 3,103 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 1,710 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

NA%

Military - note 

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

broad-based money-laundering center