Nauru

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet country code

.nr

Internet users

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

7,000 (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

2,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular

450 (1994)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Televisions

500 (1997)

Agriculture - products

coconuts

Budget

revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code

AUD

Debt - external

$33.3 million

Economic aid - recipient

$2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)

Economy - overview

Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within five to ten years. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. 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 have been invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. The government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has called for a freezing of wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. Tens of billions of dollars have been channeled through their accounts. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's per capita GDP varying widely.

Electricity - consumption

27.9 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - production

30 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Exchange rates

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)

Exports

$25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)

Exports - commodities

phosphates

Exports - partners

Australia, NZ

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $59 million (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)

Imports - commodities

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners

Australia, UK, NZ, Japan

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-3.6% (1993)

Labor force - by occupation

employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

0%

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, 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, Desertification, 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: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.)

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

Terrain

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

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

Constitution

29 January 1968

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island

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

Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone: (212) 937-0074 consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); 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 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: Bernard DOWIYOGO elected president by a vote in Parliament of nine to eight note: former President Rene HARRIS was deposed in a no-confidence vote; this is the eighth change of government in Nauru since the fall of the Lagumont HARRIS government in a no-confidence motion in early November 1996; six of the last eight governments have resulted because of parliamentary no-confidence motions

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-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

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 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 18

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Political parties and leaders

loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Background

Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Upon achieving independence in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it joined the UN in 1999.

Military - note

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

Military branches

no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 3,018 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,661 (2001 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 40.33% (male 2,510; female 2,365) 15-64 years: 57.97% (male 3,475; female 3,533) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 103; female 102) (2001 est.)

Birth rate

27.22 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate

7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

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

10.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 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: 61.2 years male: 57.7 years female: 64.88 years (2001 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Population

12,088 (July 2001 est.)

Population growth rate

2% (2001 est.)

Religions

Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.61 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Highways

total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

none (2000 est.)

Ports and harbors

Nauru

Railways

total: 5 km; note - used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast

Waterways

none