Nauru Population: 9,434
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| Background | |
| The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. Germany annexed the island in 1888. A German-British consortium began mining the island's phosphate deposits early in the 20th century. Australian forces occupied Nauru in World War I; it 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 independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
| Geographic coordinates: | 0 32 S, 166 55 E |
| Area: | total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km Size comparison: 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 elevation along plateau rim 61 m |
| Natural resources: | phosphates, fish |
| Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | periodic droughts |
| Current Environment Issues: | limited natural freshwater 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 |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 9,434 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 32.5% (male 1,363/female 1,701) 15-24 years: 17.6% (male 857/female 801) 25-54 years: 42.3% (male 1,975/female 2,014) 55-64 years: 5.9% (male 225/female 327) 65 years and over: 1.8% (male 68/female 103) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 24.6 years male: 24.8 years female: 24.3 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.608% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 27.08 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -15.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 0.84 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.81 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 8.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 65.7 years male: 61.62 years female: 69.11 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.98 children born/woman (2013 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: | Protestant 45.8% (Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%), Roman Catholic 33.2%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census) |
| Languages: | Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes) |
| Literacy: | NA |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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; amended 17 May 1968 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and customary law |
| Suffrage: | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Sprent DABWIDO (since 15 November 2011); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Sprent DABWIDO (since 15 November 2011) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of parliament (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by parliament for a three-year term; election last held on 10 November 2011 (next to be held in 2014) election results: a no-confidence vote on 15 November 2011 removed Frederick PITCHER as president after six days; Sprent DABWIDO elected in a parliamentary vote of 9 to 8 |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held on 19 June 2010 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; Nauru Party (informal); note - loose multiparty system |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues) |
| International organization participation: | ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, ICAO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES 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) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru |
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| Economy | |
| Revenues of this tiny island traditionally have come from exports of phosphates. Few other resources exist, with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. In 2005 an Australian company entered into an agreement to exploit remaining supplies. Primary reserves of phosphates were exhausted and mining ceased in 2006, but mining of a deeper layer of "secondary phosphate" in the interior of the island began the following year. The secondary phosphate deposits may last another 30 years. 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 faced virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. Nauru lost further revenue in 2008 with the closure of Australia's refugee processing center, making it almost totally dependent on food imports and foreign aid. Housing, hospitals, and other capital plant are deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continues to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $60 million (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $NA |
| GDP - real growth rate: | NA% |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,000 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 6.1% industry: 33% services: 60.8% |
| Labor force: | |
| Labor force - by occupation: | note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992) |
| Unemployment rate: | 90% (2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% (2011 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005) |
| Agriculture - products: | coconuts |
| Industries: | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 33 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 209 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 30.69 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Exports: | $64,000 (2005 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | phosphates |
| Imports: | $20 million (2004 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery |
| Debt - external: | $33.3 million (2004 est.) (2004 est.) |
| Exchange rates: | Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 0.963 (2012) 0.9695 (2011 est.) 1.0902 (2010) 1.2822 (2009) 1.2059 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 1,900 (2009) country comparison to the world: 218 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 6,700 (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .nr |
| Internet hosts: | 8,162 (2012) |
| Internet users: | |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 1 (2012) country comparison to the world: 229 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2012) |
| Roadways: | total: 24 km paved: 24 km (2002) |
| Ports and terminals: | Nauru |
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| Military | |
| Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia | |
| Military branches: | no regular military forces (2012) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,542 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,823 females age 16-49: 2,034 (2010 est.) |
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