Nauru

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

4,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system

adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Telephones

2,000 (1989 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1991 est.)

Televisions

NA

Agriculture - products

coconuts predominate

Budget

revenues : $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)

Currency

1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$33.3 million

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)

Economy - overview

Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, but incomes probably will drop sharply in the future. Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition. However, dividends from the trusts have declined sharply since 1990 and the government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. In an effort to stem further escalation of fiscal problems, the FY96/97 budget calls for a freeze on government wages for two years, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, drastic cutbacks in hiring new government staff, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates.

Electricity - capacity

13,250 kW (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Electricity - production

48 million kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.2835 (January 1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992)

Exports

total value: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: phosphates partners : Australia, NZ

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $100 million (1993 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services : NA%

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,000 (1993 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

NA%

Imports

total value: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products

Inflation rate - consumer price index

-3.6% (1993)

Labor force

by occupation : employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation

Unemployment rate

0%

Area

total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)

Coastline

30 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point : Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater; phosphate mining threatens limited remaining land resources

Environment - international agreements

party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

0 32 S, 166 55 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

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other : 100% (1993 est.)

Location

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone : 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

phosphates

Terrain

sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center

Administrative divisions

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Constitution

29 January 1968

Country name

conventional long form : Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island

Data code

NR

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru

Diplomatic representation in the US

Nauru does not have an embassy in the US consulate(s) : Agana (Guam)

Executive branch

chief of state: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government : President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); 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 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2000) election results : Kinza CLODUMAR elected president; percent of Parliament vote - NA note: President CLODUMAR is the country's fifth president in five months

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

Government type

republic

Independence

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, New Zealand-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 18 November 1995 (next to be held NA November 1998) election results : percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18

National capital

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Military branches

no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : NA

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: NA

Age structure

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Ethnic groups

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Languages

Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

Life expectancy at birth

total population : NA years male: NA years female: NA years

Literacy

NA

Nationality

noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan

Population

10,390 (July 1997 est.)

Religions

Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

Sex ratio

at birth: NA male(s)/female under 15 years : NA male(s)/female 15-64 years: NA male(s)/female 65 years and over: NA male(s)/female total population: NA male(s)/female

Disputes - international

none NAVASSA ISLAND (territory of the US)

Airports

1 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 28 km paved: 22 km unpaved: 6 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

none

Ports and harbors

Nauru

Railways

total: 3.9 km; note - used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast