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
13,528 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
36.4% (male 2,508/female 2,410)
15-64 years
61.6% (male 4,111/female 4,224)
65 years and over
2% (male 144/female 131) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
21 years
male
20.4 years
female
21.5 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.781% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
24.47 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.041 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.973 male(s)/female
65 years and over
1.099 male(s)/female
total population
1 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
9.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male
12.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female
7.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
63.44 years
male
59.85 years
female
67.21 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.02 children born/woman (2007 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
definition
NA
total population
NA
male
NA
female
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)
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 Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 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 in June 2007)
election results
Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held not later than 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15
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, AsDB, 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)
NA
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
