Compare Baker Island (2006) - Nauru (2008)

The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast.

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.

Birth rate

-

24.47 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Budget

-

revenues: $13.5 million

expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Capital

-

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

Coastline

4.8 km

30 km

Constitution

-

29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)

Country name

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Baker Island

conventional long form: Republic of Nauru

conventional short form: Nauru

local long form: Republic of Nauru

local short form: Nauru

former: Pleasant Island

Death rate

-

6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Debt - external

-

$33.3 million (2002)

Dependency status

unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

-

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)

Disputes - international

none

Economic aid - recipient

-

$20 million mostly from Australia (2005)

Economy - overview

no economic activity

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

-

27.9 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

-

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

-

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

-

30 million kWh (2005)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 8 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Environment - current issues

no natural fresh water resources

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

Ethnic groups

-

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Exchange rates

-

Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Executive branch

-

chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 19 December 2007

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 19 December 2007 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: NA

Exports

-

0 bbl/day (2004)

Exports - commodities

-

phosphates

Exports - partners

-

South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)

Fiscal year

-

1 July - 30 June

Flag description

the flag of the US is used

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

GDP - composition by sector

-

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

GDP - real growth rate

-

NA%

Geographic coordinates

0 13 N, 176 28 W

0 32 S, 166 55 E

Geography - note

treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share

-

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Imports

-

1,023 bbl/day (2004)

Imports - commodities

-

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners

-

South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006)

Independence

-

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

Industrial production growth rate

-

NA%

Industries

-

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

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.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-

-3.6% (1993)

International organization participation

-

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Irrigated land

0 sq km

NA

Judicial branch

-

Supreme Court

Labor force - by occupation

-

note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Languages

-

Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

Legal system

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

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 25 August 2007 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18; note - 15 of 18 incumbents reelected

Life expectancy at birth

-

total population: 63.44 years

male: 59.85 years

female: 67.21 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

-

definition: NA

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

Location

Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia

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

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

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

Military branches

-

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2008)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

-

NA

National holiday

-

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Nationality

-

noun: Nauruan(s)

adjective: Nauruan

Natural hazards

the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

periodic droughts

Natural resources

guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

phosphates, fish

Net migration rate

-

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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

Population

uninhabited

note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005 est.)

13,528 (July 2007 est.)

Population below poverty line

-

NA%

Population growth rate

-

1.781% (2007 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

-

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Religions

-

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

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.)

Suffrage

-

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

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)

Terrain

low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

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