Nauru
Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
republic
Nauru as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 110 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. Upon achieving independence in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it joined the UN in 1999.
Geography
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
18 fieldsElevation extremes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.)
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, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping 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
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 40.33% (male 2,510; female 2,365) 15-64 years: 57.97% (male 3,475; female 3,533) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 103; female 102) (2001 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: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 61.2 years male: 57.7 years female: 64.88 years (2001 est.)
Languages
Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Government
Republic; President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000)
18 fieldsParliament, 18 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island
Administrative divisions
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000);
- 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 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: Bernard DOWIYOGO elected president by a vote in Parliament of nine to eight note: former President Rene HARRIS was deposed in a no-confidence vote;
- this is the eighth change of government in Nauru since the fall of the Lagumont HARRIS government in a no-confidence motion in early November 1996;
- six of the last eight governments have resulted because of parliamentary no-confidence motions
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
Political parties and leaders
- loose multiparty system;
- Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG];
- Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO]
International organization participation
ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), 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
Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within five to ten years.
31 fieldsElectricity
Economy - overview
Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within five to ten 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 freezing of 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.
Labor force - by occupation
employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
Budget
revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Transportation
7 fieldsRailways
total: 5 km; note - used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
Military
No regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force
6 fieldsMilitary - note
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nauru.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nauru/2001.