| Nauru |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Nauru | Introduction | Top of Page

Background: | 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. Upon achieving independence in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it joined the UN in 1999.

Nauru | Geography | 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: | contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 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

Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 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, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping 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

Nauru | People | Top of Page

Population: | 12,088 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 40.33% (male 2,510; female 2,365) 15-64 years: 57.97% (male 3,475; female 3,533) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 103; female 102) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | 2% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: | 27.22 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 61.2 years male: 57.7 years female: 64.88 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 3.61 children born/woman (2001 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%

Nauru | Government | Top of Page

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: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government 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 8 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: Bernard DOWIYOGO elected president by a vote in Parliament of nine to eight note: former President Rene HARRIS was deposed in a no-confidence vote; this is the eighth change of government in Nauru since the fall of the Lagumont HARRIS government in a no-confidence motion in early November 1996; six of the last eight governments have resulted because of parliamentary no-confidence motions

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, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), 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

Nauru | Economy | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within five to ten 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 freezing of 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 - $59 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | NA%

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 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)

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, financial services, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate: | NA%

Electricity - production: | 30 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 27.9 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: | coconuts

Exports: | $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)

Exports - commodities: | phosphates

Exports - partners: | Australia, NZ

Imports: | $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)

Imports - commodities: | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners: | Australia, UK, NZ, Japan

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 - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)

Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June

Nauru | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 2,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 450 (1994)

Telephone system: | general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communications 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

Nauru | Transportation | Top of Page

Railways: | total: 5 km; note - used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast

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

Waterways: | none

Ports and harbors: | Nauru

Merchant marine: | none (2000 est.)

Airports: | 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Nauru | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force

Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 3,018 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,661 (2001 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

Nauru | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | none