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| Nauru |

Introduction | Nauru

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. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic.

Geography | Nauru

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% (2001)
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 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

Population: | 13,048 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 37.5% (male 2,511/female 2,379) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 3,895/female 4,012) 65 years and over: 1.9% (male 132/female 119) (2005 est.)
Median age: | total: 20.24 years male: 19.76 years female: 20.78 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.83% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: | 25.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: | 6.82 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 62.73 years male: 59.16 years female: 66.48 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 3.19 children born/woman (2005 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%

Government | Nauru

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 Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004); 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 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president

Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not later than May 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: | loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, 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): 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

Economy - overview:

Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are now depleted. 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 have been 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 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. In 2004 the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat has substantially mounted. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's 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)
Labor force - by occupation: | employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
Unemployment rate: | 90% (2004 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY95/96)
Agriculture - products: | coconuts
Industries: | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: | NA
Electricity - production: | 30 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 27.9 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA
Oil - imports: | NA
Exports: | $640,000 f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: | phosphates
Exports - partners: | South Africa 37.6%, India 19.7%, Germany 17.9%, South Korea 10.2%, Japan 6.3% (2004)
Imports: | $19.8 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners: | Australia 59.1%, Indonesia 16.7%, UK 4.3%, Germany 4.1% (2004)
Debt - external: | $33.3 million (2002)
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 - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)
Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June

Communications | Nauru

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)
Radios: | 7,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Televisions: | 500 (1997)
Internet country code: | .nr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)
Internet users: | 300 (2002)

Transportation | Nauru

Highways: | total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors: | Nauru
Airports: | 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military | Nauru

Military branches: | no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force
Military manpower - availability: | males age 18-49: 2,874 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,963 (2005 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

Transnational Issues | Nauru

Disputes - international: | none
Illicit drugs: | offshore banking recently stopped, remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime

This page was last updated on 30 June, 2005