1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Coastline
30 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Environment-current issues
limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years-mainly by a UK, Australia, and New Zealand consortium-has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
Environment-international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
0 32 S, 166 55 E
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
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 100% (1993 est.)
Location
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
periodic droughts
Natural resources
phosphates
Terrain
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Birth rate
18.03 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate
5.1 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Infant mortality rate
40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Languages
Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 66.68 years male: 64.3 years female: 69.18 years (1998 est.)
Literacy
NA
Nationality
noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan
Net migration rate
0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Population
10,501 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate
1.33% (1998 est.)
Religions
Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Total fertility rate
2.08 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Constitution
29 January 1968
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
Data code
NR
Executive branch
chief of state: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); 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 8 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: Kinza CLODUMAR elected president; percent of Parliament vote-NA note: President CLODUMAR is the country's fifth president in five months
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
Government type
republic
Independence
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, New Zealand-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
International organization participation
AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an embassy in the US 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
Judicial branch
Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: loose multi-party system; Nauru Party (informal), Bernard DOWIYOGO; Democratic Party, Kennan ADEANG
Legal system
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 18 November 1995 (next to be held NA November 1998) election results: percent of vote-NA; seats-independents 18
National capital
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
National holiday
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Suffrage
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Economy
Agriculture-products
coconuts predominate
Budget
revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)
Currency
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Debt-external
$33.3 million
Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)
Economy-overview
Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, but incomes probably will drop sharply in the future. Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition. However, dividends from the trusts have declined sharply since 1990 and the government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. In an effort to stem further escalation of fiscal problems, the government has called for a freeze on wages for two years, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, drastic cutbacks in hiring new government staff, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates.
Electricity-capacity
10,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita
2,956 kWh (1995)
Electricity-production
30 million kWh (1995)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1-1.5281 (January 1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993)
Exports
total value: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: phosphates partners: Australia, NZ
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June Communications
GDP
purchasing power parity-$100 million (1993 est.)
GDP-composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP-per capita
purchasing power parity-$10,000 (1993 est.)
GDP-real growth rate
NA%
Imports
total value: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products
Inflation rate-consumer price index
-3.6% (1993)
Labor force
by occupation: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios
4,000 (1993 est.)
Telephone system
adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones
2,000 (1989 est.)
Television broadcast stations
1 (1991 est.)
Televisions
NA
Unemployment rate
0%
Transportation
Airports
1 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Highways
total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1996 est.) Ports and harbors: Nauru
Merchant marine
none
Railways
total: 3.9 km; note-used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
Military and Security
Military branches
no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force
Military expenditures-dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures-percent of GDP
NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
none (territory of the US)