 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
|
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%
(2001) |
|
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 Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
|
Population: |
12,809 (July
2004 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14
years: 38.2% (male 2,516; female 2,372)
15-64 years:
60% (male 3,782; female 3,898)
65 years and over: 1.9%
(male 128; female 113) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 19.9 years
male: 19.5 years
female: 20.4 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate: |
1.87% (2004
est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
25.61
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
6.95
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65
years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total:
10.14 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.76 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 7.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 62.33 years
male: 58.78 years
female: 66.06 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
3.29 children
born/woman (2004 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 Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
|
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 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) 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
August 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results:
Rene HARRIS was removed from the presidency in no-confidence vote 22
June 2004; Ludwig SCOTTY became president |
|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral
Parliament (18 seats; members elected by 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 branch: |
Supreme
Court |
|
Political parties and leaders: |
loose
multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party
(informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader NA]
|
|
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: |
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 Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
|
Economy - overview: |
Revenues of
this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates,
but reserves are now depleted. 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 have
been 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 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. In 2004 the deterioration in
housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost
to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat has
substantially mounted. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru
economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's 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% (2002
est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8
million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY95/96) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
coconuts
|
|
Industries: |
phosphate
mining, offshore banking, coconut products |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
NA |
|
Electricity - production: |
30 million
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
27.9 million
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
|
Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
1,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports: |
NA (2001)
|
|
Oil - imports: |
NA (2001)
|
|
Exports: |
$18 million
f.o.b. (2002) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
phosphates
|
|
Exports - partners: |
Japan 37.9%,
India 34.5%, South Korea 13.8%, Australia 6.9% (2003 est.) |
|
Imports: |
$31 million
c.i.f. (2002) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
food, fuel,
manufactures, building materials, machinery |
|
Imports - partners: |
Australia
63.3%, Indonesia 10%, Malaysia 6.7%, US 6.7% (2003 est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$33.3 million
(2002) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$2.25
million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) (2000 est.) |
|
Currency: |
Australian
dollar (AUD) |
|
Currency code: |
AUD |
|
Exchange rates: |
Australian
dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.2641 (2002) 1.9320 (2001),
1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30
June Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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