Nauru

Internet country code

.nr

Internet hosts

52 (2006)

Internet users

300 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

1,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1,500 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Agriculture - products

coconuts

Budget

revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Currency (code)

Australian dollar (AUD)

Debt - external

$33.3 million (2002)

Economic aid - recipient

$20 million mostly from Australia

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.

Electricity - consumption

21.39 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

23 million kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)

Exports

$64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

phosphates

Exports - partners

South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2005)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (official exchange rate)

NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$60 million (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

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

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$5,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners

South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-3.6% (1993)

Labor force - by occupation

note: 0.1% employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

90% (2004 est.)

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 with a monsoonal pattern; 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection 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% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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

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 (Constitution Day)

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

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

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)

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 NA 2007) election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president

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, 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

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 note: the president dissolved parliament on 30 September 2004 and set new elections for 23 October 2004

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Political parties and leaders

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

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,874 (2005 est.)

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 (2005)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA

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.)

Birth rate

24.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 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

total: 9.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 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: 63.08 years male: 59.5 years female: 66.84 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

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

Median age

total: 20.6 years male: 20 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

13,287 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

1.81% (2006 est.)

Religions

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

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.)

Total fertility rate

3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

1 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals

Nauru

Roadways

total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.)