|
Background: |
The exact origins of the
Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in
the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate
deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British
consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and
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 its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999
as the world's smallest independent republic. |
|
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% (2005) |
|
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, Whaling
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 |
|
Population: |
13,770 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 35.5% (male
2,492/female 2,393)
15-64 years: 62.5% (male 4,237/female
4,363)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 148/female 137) (2008
est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 21.3 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate: |
1.772% (2008 est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
24.26 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
6.54 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
NA |
|
Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64
years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08
male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 9.43 deaths/1,000
live births
male: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 63.81
years
male: 60.2 years
female: 67.6 years (2008
est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
2.94 children born/woman (2008
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: |
NA |
|
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 (Constitution Day) |
|
Legal system: |
acts of the Nauru Parliament
and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations |
|
Suffrage: |
20 years of age; universal and
compulsory |
|
Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of
government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note -
President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on
19 December 2007
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 19
December 2007 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: NA
|
|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral Parliament (18
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents
18; note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a
parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action |
|
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
Democratic Party [Kennan
ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; note -
loose multiparty system |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
|
International organization participation: |
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
|
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Vinci Niel CLODUMAR
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite
400 D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
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 - overview: |
Revenues of this tiny island
have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly
depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended
to exploit remaining supplies. 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 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 faces virtual
bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced
overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in
housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to
Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb.
Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of
Nauru's GDP varying widely. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$60 million (2005 est.) |
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
|
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
NA% |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$5,000 (2005 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
note: employed in mining
phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)
|
|
Unemployment rate: |
90% (2004 est.) |
|
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) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $13.5 million
expenditures: $13.5 million (2005) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
coconuts |
|
Industries: |
phosphate mining, offshore
banking, coconut products |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
NA% |
|
Electricity - production: |
30 million kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
27.9 million kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
1,050 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
0 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - imports: |
1,023 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2005) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
phosphates |
|
Exports - partners: |
South Africa 63.7%, South Korea
7.6%, Nauru 6.6% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
food, fuel, manufactures,
building materials, machinery |
|
Imports - partners: |
South Korea 43.8%, Australia
36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$20 million mostly from
Australia (2005) |
|
Debt - external: |
$33.3 million (2002) |
|
Currency (code): |
Australian dollar (AUD) |
|
Currency code: |
AUD |
|
Exchange rates: |
Australian dollars per US
dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004),
1.5419 (2003) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30 June
|
|
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 hosts: |
53 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
|
Internet users: |
300 (2002) |
|
Airports: |
1 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 1
1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 30 km |
|
Ports and terminals: |
Nauru |
|
Military branches: |
no regular military forces;
Nauru Police Force (2008) |
|
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 3,470
(2008 est.) |
|
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 |
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