Nauru (2005) | Malawi (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren | 27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 37.5% (male 2,511/female 2,379)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 3,895/female 4,012) 65 years and over: 1.9% (male 132/female 119) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 46.8% (male 2,811,751; female 2,759,515)
15-64 years: 50.5% (male 2,978,406; female 3,029,735) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 130,600; female 196,848) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 42 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 118,480 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
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. | Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution, which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after the previous president was unable to amend the constitution to permit another term, has struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, who still leads their shared political party. MATHARIKA's anti-corruption efforts have led to several high-level arrests but no convictions. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country. |
Birth rate | 25.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 44.35 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY95/96) |
revenues: $528.1 million
expenditures: $653.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
Capital | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District | Lilongwe |
Climate | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) | sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November) |
Coastline | 30 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day) | 18 May 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island |
conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
conventional short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland |
Currency | - | Malawian kwacha (MWK) |
Death rate | 6.82 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 23.01 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $33.3 million (2002) | $3.026 billion (2003) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru | chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen BROWNING
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471 |
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): Agana (Guam) |
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Tony Steven KANDIERO
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0976 |
Disputes - international | none | dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant |
Economic aid - recipient | $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) | $540 million (1999) |
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. | Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues in 2001. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. In November 2002 the World Bank approved a $50 million drought recovery package, which is to be used for famine relief. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and to satisfy foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports. |
Electricity - consumption | 27.9 million kWh (2002) | 715.3 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 30 million kWh (2002) | 769.2 million kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m |
lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 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 | deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations |
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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% | Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - NA (2003), 76.6866 (2002), 72.1973 (2001), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 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 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president |
chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held NA May 2009) election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (UDF) 35.9%, John TEMBO (MCP) 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MC) 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA (NDA) 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI (independent) 2.5% |
Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | phosphates | tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel |
Exports - partners | South Africa 43.4%, Germany 20.7%, India 11.8%, Japan 7.2%, Poland 4% (2004) | South Africa 23.3%, US 13.4%, Germany 11.3%, Egypt 5.7%, Portugal 4.8%, Japan 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
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 | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $6.845 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 51%
industry: 21.8% services: 27.2% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $600 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | 1.7% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 0 32 S, 166 55 E | 13 30 S, 34 00 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 | landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature |
Government - note | - | the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature |
Highways | total: 30 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.) |
total: 28,400 km
paved: 5,254 km unpaved: 23,146 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | offshore banking recently stopped, remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime | - |
Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment |
Imports - partners | Australia 65.6%, Indonesia 5.4%, Germany 5.3%, UK 4.4% (2004) | South Africa 53.7%, India 4.9%, Tanzania 3.9% (2003) |
Independence | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) | 6 July 1964 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | -1.6% (2003 est.) |
Industries | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods |
Infant mortality rate | total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 104.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 108.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 99.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -3.6% (1993) | 9.5% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | NA | 280 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts |
Labor force | - | 4.5 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation | agriculture 90% (2003 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,881 km
border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 23.38%
permanent crops: 1.49% other: 75.13% (2001) |
Languages | Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes | English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally |
Legal system | acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law | based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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 |
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held NA May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MCP 56, UDF 49, Mgwirizano Coalition (MC) 25, independents 39, others 24 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 62.73 years
male: 59.16 years female: 66.48 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 37.48 years
male: 37.08 years female: 37.88 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands | Southern Africa, east of Zambia |
Map references | Oceania | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
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 | Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including Mobile Force Unit) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $11.5 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 0.7% (2003) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 2,691,881 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,381,607 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 31 January (1968) | Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964) |
Nationality | noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan |
noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | phosphates, fish | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader NA] | Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP) [Gwandaguluwe Chakuamba]; Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; New Congress for Democracy or NCD [Hetherwick NTABA]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe Chakuamba]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA] - governing party |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 13,048 (July 2005 est.) | 11,906,855
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 55% (2003 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.83% (2005 est.) | 2.14% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Nauru | Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001) |
Railways | - | total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
Religions | Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic) | Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2% |
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: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
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) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,900 (2002) | 85,000 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,500 (2002) | 135,100 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (2001) |
Terrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center | narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains |
Total fertility rate | 3.19 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 6.04 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 90% (2004 est.) | NA (2003 est.) |
Waterways | - | 700 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (2003) |