Nauru (2002) | Isle of Man (2008) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections |
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.) |
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 6,645/female 6,330)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 25,085/female 24,840) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,232/female 7,699) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. |
Birth rate | 26.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 10.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96) |
revenues: $965 million
expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.) |
Capital | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District | name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February) | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time |
Coastline | 30 km | 160 km |
Constitution | 29 January 1968 | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man abbreviation: I.O.M. |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | - |
Death rate | 7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 11.1 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $33.3 million | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru | none (British crown dependency) |
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) |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) | $NA |
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. | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. |
Electricity - consumption | 27.9 million kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - production | 30 million kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m |
lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 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 | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution |
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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons |
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) | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)
note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: Acting President Derog GIOURA (since 10 March 2003) following death of President Bernard DOWIYOGO note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Acting President Derog GIOURA (since 10 March 2003) following death of President Bernard DOWIYOGO 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 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2004); following Rene HARRIS' resignation, Bernard DOWIYOGO was elected president election results: Rene HARRIS elected president; percent of Parliamentary vote - NA%; replaced by Bernard DOWIYOGO 9 January 2003 following a no-confidence vote; HARRIS reinstated 17 January 2003, then gives up presidency 18 January and DOWIYOGO is elected president; DOWIYOGO dies 10 March 2003; with 9 votes over 8 for Kinza CLODUMAR, Derog GIOURA was named acting president |
chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald |
Exports | $25.3 million f.o.b. (1991) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | phosphates | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb |
Exports - partners | NZ, Australia, South Korea, US (2000) | UK (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
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 | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 5.2% (2005) |
Geographic coordinates | 0 32 S, 166 55 E | 54 15 N, 4 30 W |
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 | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary |
Highways | total: 30 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | broad-based money-laundering center | - |
Imports | $21.1 million c.i.f. (1991) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery | timber, fertilizers, fish |
Imports - partners | Australia, US, UK, Indonesia, India (2000) | UK (2006) |
Independence | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 3.2% (FY96/97) |
Industries | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 10.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 5.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -3.6% (1993) (1993) | 3.1% (December 2006 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO | UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 0 sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) |
Labor force | - | 39,690 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation | agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002) |
Languages | Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes | English, Manx Gaelic |
Legal system | acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes |
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 |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 61.57 years
male: 58.05 years female: 65.26 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 78.64 years
male: 75.3 years female: 82.17 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 297 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,377,775 GRT/13,890,881 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 65, chemical tanker 54, combination ore/oil 1, container 17, liquefied gas 34, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 210 (Cyprus 4, Denmark 41, France 2, Germany 61, Greece 48, Ireland 1, Italy 1, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 33, Singapore 2, Sweden 3, Turkey 2, US 4) (2007) |
Military - note | Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | - |
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.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 31 January (1968) | Tynwald Day, 5 July |
Nationality | noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan |
noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | phosphates, fish | none |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 5.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO] | Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT]
note: most members sit as independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 12,329 (July 2002 est.) | 75,831 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.96% (2002 est.) | 0.513% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Nauru | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 7,000 (1997) | - |
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) |
total: 65 km
standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified) narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006) |
Religions | Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic) | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends |
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.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.951 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory | 16 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,000 (1996) | 51,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 450 (1994) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) |
Terrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center | hills in north and south bisected by central valley |
Total fertility rate | 3.5 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | 1.5% (December 2006 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |