2010 Edition

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. 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 independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

Area

land

21 sq km

total

21 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

Coastline

30 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m

lowest point

Pacific Ocean 0 m

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

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

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

0%

other

100% (2005)

permanent crops

0%

Location

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

phosphates, fish

Terrain

sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.7% (male 2,482/female 2,384) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 4,362/female 4,495) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 151/female 145) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

28.16 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

6.15 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

6.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

11.36 deaths/1,000 live births

total

8.81 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.39 years (2010 est.)

male

60.93 years

total population

64.99 years

Literacy

NA

Median age

female

23.6 years (2010 est.)

male

24 years

total

23.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Nauruan

noun

Nauruan(s)

Net migration rate

-16.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population

9,267 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.594% (2010 est.)

Religions

Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

9 years (2006)

male

8 years

total

9 years

Sex ratio

at birth

0.838 male(s)/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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.13 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Capital

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

time difference

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Nauru

conventional short form

Nauru

former

Pleasant Island

local long form

Republic of Nauru

local short form

Nauru

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES

consulate(s)

Agana (Guam)

FAX

[1] (212) 937-0079

telephone

[1] (212) 937-0074

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of parliament (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Marcus STEPHEN reelected in a parliamentary vote of 11 to 6

elections

president elected by parliament for a three-year term; election last held on 1 November 2010 (next to be held in 2013)

head of government

President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007)

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

Government type

republic

Independence

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18

elections

last held on 19 June 2010 (next to be held in 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS note: adopted 1968

name

"Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; Nauru Party (informal); note - loose multiparty system

Political pressure groups and leaders

Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agriculture - products

coconuts

Debt - external

$33.3 million (2004 est.)

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. Reserves of phosphates may only last until 2010 at current mining rates. 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. 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 is 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.

Electricity - consumption

28.83 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

31 million kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.1151 (2010), 1.2822 (2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006)

Exports

$64,000 (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

phosphates

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$5,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

GDP (official exchange rate)

$NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$60 million (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$20 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force - by occupation

note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

1,026 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

90% (2004 est.)

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

Internet hosts

4,158 (2010)

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities

international

country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

1,900 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1,500 (2002)

Airports

1 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Nauru

Roadways

paved

24 km (2002)

total

24 km

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 3,682 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,683 females age 16-49: 3,059 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

168 (2010 est.)

male

174

Military - note

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Military branches

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2009)

Military expenditures

NA

Disputes - international

none page last updated on January 12, 2011 ======================================================================