The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific region. 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.
Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
0 32 S, 166 55 E
Oceania
total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
30 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m
phosphates, fish
agricultural land: 20%
arable land 0%; permanent crops 20%; permanent pasture 0%
forest: 0%
other: 80% (2011 est.)
0 sq km (2012)
periodic droughts
limited natural freshwater resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; a century of intensive phosphate mining beginning in 1906 - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
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
world's smallest island country; situated just 53 km south of the Equator; 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
9,591 (July 2016 est.)
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan
Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes I-Kiribati 2% and Chinese 2%)
note: percentages represent main language spoken at home; Nauruan is spoken by 95% of the population, English by 66%, and other languages by 12% (2011 est.)
Protestant 60.4% (includes Nauru Congregational 35.7%, Assembly of God 13%, Nauru Independent Church 9.5%, Baptist 1.5%, and Seventh Day Adventist 0.7%), Roman Catholic 33%, other 3.7%, none 1.8%, unspecified 1.1% (2011 est.)
0-14 years: 31.93% (male 1,336/female 1,726)
15-24 years: 16.09% (male 779/female 764)
25-54 years: 43.33% (male 2,085/female 2,071)
55-64 years: 6.29% (male 236/female 367)
65 years and over: 2.37% (male 89/female 138) (2016 est.)
0.52% (2016 est.)
total: 26.1 years
male: 26.5 years
female: 25.5 years (2016 est.)
24.4 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
-13.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
urban population: 100% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 0.19% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
at birth: 0.83 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.77 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.64 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 67.1 years
male: 63 years
female: 70.5 years (2016 est.)
2.84 children born/woman (2016 est.)
35.6% (2007)
3.3% of GDP (2014)
0.71 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
5 beds/1,000 population (2010)
improved:
urban: 96.5% of population
total: 96.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 3.5% of population
total: 3.5% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 65.6% of population
total: 65.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 34.4% of population
total: 34.4% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
NA
45.1% (2014)
4.8% (2007)
NA
total: 9 years
male: 9 years
female: 10 years (2008)
22.1
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2007 est.)
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
local long form: Republic of Nauru
local short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
etymology: the island name may derive from the Nauruan word "anaoero" meaning "I go to the beach"
parliamentary republic
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
effective 29 January 1968; amended 1968, 2009, 2014 (2016)
mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and customary law
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
frigatebird, calophyllum flower; national colors: blue, yellow, white
chief of state: President Baron WAQA (since 11 June 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Baron WAQA (since 11 June 2013)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliament
elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 3-year renewable term; election last held on 11 June 2013 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: Baron WAQA reelected president on 11 June 2013; Parliament vote - Baron WAQA (independent) 13, Roland KUN (Nauru First) 5
description: unicameral parliament (19 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by majority vote; members serve 3-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 July 2016 (next to be held in 2019)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 19
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICCt, IFAD, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 1 judge)
judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president to serve until age 65
subordinate courts: District Court, Family Court
Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]
Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party
Nauru Party (informal)
note: loose multiparty system
Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)
chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene Inemwin MOSES (since 10 February 2006)
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean, 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
name: "Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)
lyrics/music: Margaret HENDRIE/Laurence Henry HICKS
note: adopted 1968
Revenues of this tiny island - a coral atoll with a land area of 21 square kilometers - traditionally have come from exports of phosphates. Few other resources exist, with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and lat
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 cu
Although revenue sources for government are limited, the opening of the Australian Regional Processing Center for asylum seekers since 2012 has sparked growth in the economy. Revenue derived from fishing licenses under the "vessel day scheme" has also boo
$150.8 million (2015 est.)
$150.8 million (2015 est.)
$139.7 million (2014 est.)
$127 million (2013 est.)
8% (2015 est.)
10% (2014 est.)
4.5% (2013 est.)
$14,800 (2015 est.)
$13,700 (2014 est.)
$12,500 (2013 est.)
note: data are in 2015 US dollars
agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 33%
services: 60.8% (2009 est.)
NA%
coconuts
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
NA
note: most of the labor force is employed in phosphate mining, public administration, education, and transportation
23% (2011 est.)
90% (2004 est.)
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $57.8 million
expenditures: $51.8 million (2010 est.)
1 July - 30 June
8% (2015 est.)
5% (2015 est.)
$125 million (2013 est.)
$110.3 million (2012 est.)
phosphates
$143.1 million (2013 est.)
$41.2 million (2012 est.)
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
$33.3 million (2004 est.)
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -
1.352 (2016 est.)
1.3291 (2015 est.)
1.3291 (2014 est.)
1.0358 (2013 est.)
0.97 (2012 est.)
25 million kWh (2014 est.)
23.25 million kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
5,000 kW (2014 est.)
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
400 bbl/day (2014 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
394.8 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 1,900
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (July 2009 est.)
total: 6,800
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 73 (July 2012 est.)
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
1 government-owned TV station broadcasting programs from New Zealand sent via satellite or on videotape; 1 government-owned radio station, broadcasting on AM and FM, utilizes Australian and British programs (2009)
.nr
total: 5,100
percent of population: 53.5% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 38,858
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7,793,474 mt-km (2015)
C2 (2016)
1 (2013)
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
total: 30 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 6 km (2002)
major seaport(s): Nauru
no regular military forces (2012)
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
none
