from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Nauru
Introduction
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.
Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of
the Marshall Islands
Geographic 0 32 S, 166 55 E
coordinates:
Map Oceania
references:
Area: total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
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 lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Natural phosphates, fish
resources:
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural periodic droughts
hazards:
Environment - limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage
current tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a
issues: 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 - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous
agreements: Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands
note: in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean
Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia;
only 53 km south of Equator
People
Population: 13,287 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.9% (male 2,507/female 2,391)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 4,004/female 4,123)
65 years and over: 2% (male 139/female 123) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 20.6 years
male: 20 years
female: 21.2 years (2006 est.)
Population 1.81% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 24.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 9.78 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 63.08 years
expectancy at male: 59.5 years
birth: female: 66.84 years (2006 est.)
Total 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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: definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Government
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 republic
type:
Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren
District
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
Administrative 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti,
divisions: Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok,
Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and
UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26
branch: October 2004); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26
October 2004)
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 23 October 2004
(next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the
parliamentary elections for president
Legislative unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by
branch: popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not
later than May 2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Nauru
First Party 3, independents 15
Judicial Supreme Court
branch:
Political loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan
parties and ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero
leaders: Amo) Party
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
organization OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
participation:
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Vinci Niel CLODUMAR
representation chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY
in the US: 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US
representation Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
from the US:
Flag blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across
description: 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
Economy - Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come
overview: 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 $60 million (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $5,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: NA%
composition by industry: NA%
sector: services: NA%
Labor force - note: 0.1% employed in mining phosphates, public
by occupation: administration, education, and transportation
Unemployment 90% (2004 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate -3.6% (1993)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $13.5 million
expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Agriculture - coconuts
products:
Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 23 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 21.39 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - phosphates
commodities:
Exports - South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6%
partners: (2005)
Imports: $20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
commodities:
Imports - South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany
partners: 4.3% (2005)
Debt - $33.3 million (2002)
external:
Economic aid - $20 million mostly from Australia
recipient:
Currency Australian dollar (AUD)
(code):
Currency code: AUD
Exchange Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005),
rates: 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334
(2001)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications
Telephones - 1,900 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 1,500 (2002)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate local and international
system: radiotelephone communication provided via Australian
facilities
domestic: NA
international: country code - 674; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 7,000 (1997)
Television 1 (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 500 (1997)
Internet .nr
country code:
Internet 52 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 300 (2002)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 30 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.)
Ports and Nauru
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2005)
branches:
Manpower males age 18-49: 2,874 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal
note: agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: