Facts About Nauru
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. Upon achieving independence
in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it
joined the UN in 1999.
Government type: republic
Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Geography of Nauru
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
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; 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 location along plateau rim 61 m
Natural resources: phosphates
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
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 of Nauru
Population: 13,048 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.33%
15-64 years: 57.97%
65 years and over: 1.7%
Population growth rate: 2%
Birth rate: 27.22 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 7.2 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.2 years
male: 57.7 years
female: 64.88 years
Total fertility rate: 3.61 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Languages: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English
widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes.
SOURCE: The World Factbook |