Map of Nauru | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Oceania island in the South Pacific Ocean south of the Marshall Islands

Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S 166 55 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 21 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 21 km²
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
Extremes 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 km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

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


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Population: 12,329 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.96% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Nauruan
Adjective: Nauruan

Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58% other Pacific Islander 26% Chinese 8% European 8%

Languages: Nauruan (official a distinct Pacific Island language) English widely understood spoken and used for most government and commercial purposes

Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant one-third Roman Catholic)

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.96% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 26.6 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.06 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 10.52 deaths/1000 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.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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
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]

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 consulates: Hagatna (Guam)
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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: coconuts

Industries: phosphate mining offshore banking coconut products

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force
By occupation: employed in mining phosphates public administration education and transportation

Unemployment rate: 0%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

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

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: -3.6% (1993) (1993)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $25.3 million f.o.b. (1991)
Commodities: phosphates
Partners: NZ Australia South Korea US (2000)

Imports: $21.1 million c.i.f. (1991)
Commodities: food fuel manufactures building materials machinery
Partners: Australia US UK Indonesia India (2000)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $33.3 million

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

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)


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Electricity
Production: 30 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 27.9 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 2000 (1996)
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .nr
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2001)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines

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)

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: broad-based money-laundering center