Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook 2002
| Nauru |

Introduction | Nauru

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. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic.

Geography | Nauru

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 water: 0 sq km land: 21 sq km
Area - comparative: | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 30 km
Maritime claims: | contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: | tropical; monsoonal; 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% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | NA sq km
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 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

People | Nauru

Population: | 12,329 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 39.6% (male 2,515; female 2,366) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 3,578; female 3,656) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 108; female 106) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.96% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 26.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 10.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 61.57 years female: 65.26 years (2002 est.) male: 58.05 years
Total fertility rate: | 3.5 children born/woman (2002 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%

Government | Nauru

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
Government type: | republic
Capital: | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Administrative divisions: | 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution: | 29 January 1968
Legal system: | acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Suffrage: | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Rene HARRIS (since 30 March 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held NA March 2001 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Rene HARRIS elected president; percent of Parliamentary vote - NA%
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament
head of government: President Rene HARRIS (since 30 March 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: | loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
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)
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 | Nauru

Economy - overview:

Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within a few 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 freeze on 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.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | NA%
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | -3.6% (1993)
Labor force - by occupation: | employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
Unemployment rate: | 0%
Budget: | revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)
Industries: | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 30 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 27.9 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: | coconuts
Exports: | $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)
Exports - commodities: | phosphates
Exports - partners: | NZ, Australia, South Korea, US (2000)
Imports: | $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)
Imports - commodities: | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners: | Australia, US, UK, Indonesia, India (2000)
Debt - external: | $33.3 million
Economic aid - recipient: | $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)
Currency: | Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code: | AUD
Exchange rates: | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002) 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)
Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June

Communications | Nauru

Telephones - main lines in use: | 2,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 450 (1994)
Telephone system: | general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: | 7,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (1997)
Televisions: | 500 (1997)
Internet country code: | .nr
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)
Internet users: | NA

Transportation | Nauru

Railways: | total: 5 km note: gauge unknown; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001)
Highways: | total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | Nauru
Merchant marine: | none (2002 est.)
Airports: | 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Military | Nauru

Military branches: | no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 3,103 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,710 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA%
Military - note: | Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues | Nauru

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002