Background: The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it 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 independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S 166 55 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 21 km²
Rank: 239
Land: 21 km²
Water: 0 km²
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
Extremes highest point: unnamed elevation 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

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

Population: 9,322 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 225
Growth rate: 0.611% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 142
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: Protestant 45.8% (Nauru Congregational 35.4% Nauru Independent Church 10.4%) Roman Catholic 33.2% other 14.1% none 4.5% unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 33%
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 2,996/female 3,093)
65 years and over: 1.6% (male 68/female 85) (2011 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.2 years
Male: 24.4 years
Female: 23.9 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.611% (2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Birth rate: 27.78 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 46

Death rate: 6.11 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 159

Net migration rate: -15.55 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 217

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater 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 Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 0.837 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.66 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 156
Male: 11.15 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.58 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.35 years
Rank: 166
Male: 61.27 years
Female: 68.75 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.08 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 61

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.714 physicians/1000 population (2008)
Rank: 114

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 10 years (2008)

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

Legal system: mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Sprent DABWIDO ; note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Sprent DABWIDO (since 15 November 2011)
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 on 10 November 2011 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: a no-confidence vote on 15 November 2011 removed Frederick PITCHER as president after six days; Sprent DABWIDO elected in a parliamentary vote of 9 to 8

Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
Elections: last held on 19 June 2010 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; Nauru Party (informal); note - loose multiparty system

International organization participation: ACP ADB AOSIS C FAO G-77 ICAO Interpol IOC ITU OPCW PIF Sparteca SPC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UPU WHO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES
In the us chancery: 800 2nd Avenue Suite 400 D New York NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
In the us fax: [1] (212) 937-0079
In the us consulate: Agana (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; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean 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 anthem
Name: 'Nauru Bwiema'
Lyricsmusic: Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS
Note: adopted 1968

Economy overview: Revenues of this tiny island traditionally have come from exports of phosphates. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported mainly from Australia its former occupier and later major source of support. In 2005 an Australian company entered into an agreement to exploit remaining supplies. Primary reserves of phosphates were exhausted and mining ceased in 2006 but mining of a deeper layer of 'secondary phosphate' in the interior of the island began the following year. The secondary phosphate deposits may last another 30 years. 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 faced virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. Nauru lost further revenue in 2008 with the closure of Australia's refugee processing center making it almost totally dependent on food imports and foreign aid. Housing hospitals and other capital plant are deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continues to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $60 million (2005 est.)
Rank: 221

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $5,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 148

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 note: employed in mining phosphates public administration education and transportation

Unemployment rate: 90% (2004 est.)
Rank: 198

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $13.5 million
Expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Exports: $64,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 220
Commodities: phosphates

Imports: $20 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 219
Commodities: food fuel manufactures building materials machinery

Debt external: $33.3 million (2004 est.) (2004 est.)
Rank: 193

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 32 million kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 207
Consumption: 29.76 million kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 207
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 109
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 209
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 154
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 164
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 176

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1900 (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 224
Mobile cellular: 6,200 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 213

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)

Broadcast media: 1 government-owned television station broadcasting programs from New Zealand sent via satellite or on videotape; 1 government-owned radio station broadcasting on AM and FM utilizes Australian and British programs (2009)

Internet
Country code: .nr
Hosts: 4,158 (2010)
Hosts rank: 140

Military expenditures: NA

Airports: 1 (2010)
Rank: 229
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2010)

Roadways
Total: 24 km
Rank: 219
Paved: 24 km (2002)

Ports and terminals: Nauru

Disputes international: none