Background: The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. 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

Area
Rank: 240
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
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 highest point: unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m

Natural resources: phosphates fish

Land use
Permanent crops: 20%
Other: 80% (2011)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography
Note: world's smallest island country; situated just 53 km south of the Equator; 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

Population: 9,488 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 227
Growth rate: 0.56% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 151
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Adjective: Nauruan

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

Languages: Nauruan 93% (official a distinct Pacific Island language) English 2% (widely understood spoken and used for most government and commercial purposes) other 5% (includes I-Kiribati 2% and Chinese 2%)

Religions: Protestant 60.4% (includes Nauru Congregational 35.7% Assembly of God 13% Nauru Independent Church 9.5% Baptist 1.5% and Seventh Day Adventist .7%) Roman Catholic 33% other 3.7% none 1.8% unspecified 1.1% (2011 est.)

Age structure
15-24 years: 16.9% (male 828/female 773)
25-54 years: 42.7% (male 2013/female 2,040)
55-64 years: 6% (male 228/female 343)
65 years and over: 1.8% (male 73/female 111) (2014 est.)

Median age
Male: 25.6 years
Female: 25 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.56% (2014 est.)
Rank: 151

Birth rate: 25.61 births/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 51

Death rate: 5.9 deaths/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 171

Net migration rate: -14.12 migrant(s)/1000 population (2014 est.)
Rank: 218

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 0.59% 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 signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 0.79 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.1

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 153
Male: 10.54 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.27 deaths/1000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 169
Male: 62.3 years
Female: 69.83 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.93 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Rank: 59

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 35.6% (2007)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.71 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 71.1% (2008)
Rank: 2

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 4.8% (2007)
Rank: 91

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy: NA

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

Country name
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: effective 29 January 1968; amended 1968 2009; note - in early 2013 further amendments were introduced (2013)

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
Head of government: President Baron WAQA (since 11 June 2013)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliament
Elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held on 11 June 2013 (next to be held in 2016)
Election results: Baron WAQA elected president on 11 June 2013

Legislative branch: unicameral parliament (19 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
Elections: last held on 8 June 2013 (next to be held in 2016)
Election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 19

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president to serve until age 65
Subordinate courts: District Court Family Court

Political parties and leaders:

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

Diplomatic representation
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 currently Ambassador Frankie A. REED 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
Lyrics and music: Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS

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: 224

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: $5,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 160

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 33%
Services: 60.8% (2009 est.)

Agriculture products: coconuts

Industries: phosphate mining offshore banking coconut products

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Unemployment rate: 90% (2004 est.)
Rank: 202

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA% (2011 est.)

Exports: $64,000 (2005 est.)
Rank: 221
Commodities: phosphates

Imports: $N/A (2004 est.)
Commodities: food fuel manufactures building materials machinery

Debt external: $33.3 million (2004 est.)
Rank: 195

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 35 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 210
Consumption: 32.55 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 210
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 178
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 180
Installed generating capacity: 1000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 211
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 27
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 154
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 190
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 108

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 204
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 164
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 106
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 173

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 183
Products consumption: 1000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 200
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 206
Products imports: 1075 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 193

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 176
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 181
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 158
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 108
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 179

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 168,800 Mt (2011 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1900 (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 219
Mobile cellular: 6,800 (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 213

Telephone system
International: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Broadcast media: 1 government-owned TV 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: 8,162 (2012)
Hosts rank: 138

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 229
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)

Roadways
Rank: 219
Paved: 24 km
Unpaved: 6 km (2002)

Disputes international: none