Nauru
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Nauru Geography Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E Map references: Oceania Area: total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km AreaÑcomparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC 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: NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 100% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: NA sq km Natural hazards: periodic droughts EnvironmentÑcurrent issues: limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 yearsÑmainly by a UK, Australia, and New Zealand consortiumÑhas left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources EnvironmentÑinternational agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements GeographyÑnote: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific OceanÑthe others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator People Population: 10,501 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA Population growth rate: 1.33% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 18.03 births/1,000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 5.1 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.68 years male: 64.3 years female: 69.18 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.08 children born/woman (1998 est.) 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 Literacy: NA Government Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island Data code: NR Government type: republic National capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District 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-, New Zealand-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968) Constitution: 29 January 1968 Legal system: acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); noteÑthe president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997); noteÑthe 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 voteÑNA note: President CLODUMAR is the country's fifth president in five months 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 voteÑNA; seatsÑindependents 18 Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: loose multi-party system; Nauru Party (informal), Bernard DOWIYOGO; Democratic Party, Kennan ADEANG International organization participation: AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an embassy in the US 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 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 EconomyÑoverview: 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 government has called for a freeze on 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. GDP: purchasing power parityÑ$100 million (1993 est.) GDPÑreal growth rate: NA% GDPÑper capita: purchasing power parityÑ$10,000 (1993 est.) GDPÑcomposition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% Inflation rateÑconsumer price index: -3.6% (1993) Labor force: by occupation: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation Unemployment rate: 0% Budget: revenues: $23.4 million expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96) Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products Industrial production growth rate: NA% ElectricityÑcapacity: 10,000 kW (1995) ElectricityÑproduction: 30 million kWh (1995) ElectricityÑconsumption per capita: 2,956 kWh (1995) AgricultureÑproducts: coconuts predominate Exports: total value: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: phosphates partners: Australia, NZ Imports: total value: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan DebtÑexternal: $33.3 million Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1Ñ1.5281 (January 1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993) Fiscal year: 1 JulyÑ30 June Communications Telephones: 2,000 (1989 est.) Telephone system: adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: satellite earth stationÑ1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 Radios: 4,000 (1993 est.) Television broadcast stations: 1 (1991 est.) Televisions: NA Transportation Railways: total: 3.9 km; noteÑused to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast Highways: total: 30 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1996 est.) Ports and harbors: Nauru Merchant marine: none Airports: 1 (1997 est.) AirportsÑwith paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.) Military Military branches: no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force Military expendituresÑdollar figure: $NA Military expendituresÑpercent of GDP: NA% Transnational Issues DisputesÑinternational: none