Nauru Country Facts
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific
Affairs
October
2007
Background Note:
Nauru
Local men watch as an Australian
navy
ship passes near the Nauru
coast,
September 18, 2001. [? AP
Images]
Flag of Nauru is 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.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Republic of
Nauru
Geography
Area: 21 sq.
km.
Cities: Capital--no official capital; government offices in Yaren
District. Terrain: Rough beach rises to a fertile but narrow
ring around a raised, prehistoric coral reef
plateau, studded with coral pinnacles exposed by
phosphate
mining.
Climate: Equatorial; monsoonal; rainy season (November to
February); unreliable
rainfall and prone to El Nino-linked
droughts.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Nauruan(s).
Population (2006):
9,275.
Age structure: 38.2% below 14; 1.9% over
65.
Annual growth rate (1992-2002):
2.5%.
Ethnic groups: Nauruan 95%, Chinese 3%, other Pacific Islander 1%,
European
1%.
Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman
Catholic). Languages: Nauruan,
English.
Education (2004):
Literacy--97%.
Health (2002): Life expectancy (2004 est.) women 56.9 yrs.; men 49.0
yrs.; Infant mortality
rate--10.14/1,000.
Work force (2004 est.):
4,300.
Unemployment (2004 est.):
50%.
Government
Type:
Republic.
Constitution:
1968.
Independence: January 31,
1968.
Branches: Executive--president and cabinet.
Legislative--unicameral
Parliament. Judicial--Supreme Court, Appellate Court, District Court,
and Family
Court.
Administrative subdivisions: 14
districts.
Political party: Naoero Amo (Nauru First)
Party.
Central government budget (2006/2007 est.): $17.6
million.
Suffrage: Universal at age
20.
Economy (all figures in U.S.
$)
GDP (2005/2006 est.): $25.2
million.
Per capita GDP (2005/2006 est.):
$2,739.
Avg. inflation rate (2005 est.):
-3-4%.
Industry: Types--phosphate
mining.
Trade: Exports (2004 est.)--$640,000; phosphates. Major
export
markets--Japan. Imports (2004 est.)--$19.8 million; food, fuel,
manufactures. Major import
sources--Australia.
Currency: Australian dollar
(A$).
GEOGRAPHY
Nauru is a small oval-shaped island in the western Pacific Ocean,
located just 42 kilometers (26 mi.) south of the
Equator. It is one of three great phosphate rock islands
in the Pacific Ocean--the others are Banaba (Ocean
Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia. Until recently
Nauru's phosphate reserves were thought to be nearly depleted,
but there are some indications that the potential
for continued productive mining might exist. Phosphate mining
in the central plateau has left a barren terrain of jagged,
prehistoric coral pinnacles, up to 15 meters (49 ft.) high. A century
of mining has stripped and devastated
four-fifths of the total land area.
Efforts to rehabilitate the mined-out areas have been
unsuccessful.
The island is surrounded by a coral reef, exposed at low tide and
dotted with pinnacles. The reef is bounded seaward by deep water,
inside by a narrow sandy beach. A
150-300-meter (492-984 ft.) wide fertile coastal strip lies
landward from the coast, ending in forested coral cliffs that rise to
the now mined-out central plateau. The highest point of the plateau is
65 meters (213 ft.) above sea level. The island's only fertile areas
are within the narrow coastal belt, where there are coconut
palms, pandanus trees, and indigenous hardwoods, and the land
surrounding the inland Buada lagoon on the central
plateau, where bananas, pineapples, and some vegetables are grown.
Some secondary vegetation has begun to
cover the scarred central plateau and its coral
pinnacles.
PEOPLE
Nauruans descended from Polynesian and Micronesian seafarers. Grouped
in clans or tribes, early Nauruans traced
their descent on the female side. They believed in a female deity,
Eijebong, and a spirit land, also an island,
called Buitani. Two of the 12 original tribal groups became extinct
during the 20th century. Because of poor diet, alcohol
abuse, and a sedentary lifestyle,
Nauru has one of the world's highest levels of diabetes, renal
failure and heart disease, exceeding 40% of the
population.
HISTORY
Nauru had little contact with Europeans until whaling ships and other
traders began to visit in the 1830s. The introduction of firearms and
alcohol destroyed the
peaceful coexistence of the 12 tribes living on the island. A
10-year internal war began in 1878 and resulted in a reduction of
the population from 1,400
(1843) to around 900
(1888).
The island was allocated to Germany under the 1886 Anglo-German
Convention. Phosphate was discovered a decade later and the
Pacific Phosphate Company started to exploit the
reserves in 1906, by agreement with Germany. Following the outbreak of
World War I, Australian forces captured the island in 1914.
After the war, the League of Nations assigned a joint trustee mandate
over the island to Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.
The three governments established the British
Phosphate Commissioners, who exercised the rights to phosphate
mining.
During World War II Japan occupied Nauru in August 1942 and deported
1,200 Nauruans to work as laborers in the Caroline
Islands, where 463 died. The survivors returned to
Nauru in January
1946.
After the war the island became a UN Trust Territory under Australia,
in line with the previous League of Nations mandate, and it remained
one until it became an independent republic in
1968. A plan by the partner governments to resettle the Nauruans (due
to dwindling phosphate reserves and damage to the island from
extensive mining) on Curtis Island off the north coast
of Queensland, Australia,
was abandoned in 1964 when the islanders decided not to move.
In 1967, the Nauruans purchased the assets of the British Phosphate
Commissioners, and in June 1970 control passed to the Nauru
Phosphate
Corporation.
In 1989 Nauru filed suit against Australia in the International Court
of Justice in The Hague for damages caused by
mining while the island was under Australian jurisdiction. Australia
settled the case out of court in 1993, agreeing to
pay a lump sum settlement of A$107 million (U.S.$85.6 million)
and an annual stipend of the equivalent of A$2.5 million in 1993
dollars toward environmental
rehabilitation.
GOVERNMENT
The country is governed by a unicameral Parliament consisting of 18
members elected at least triennially from 8 constituencies.
Parliament elects the president, who is both chief
of state and head of government, from among its members. The
president appoints a cabinet from among members of Parliament.
For its size, Nauru has a complex legal system. The Supreme Court,
headed by the Chief Justice of Nauru, is paramount on constitutional
issues, but other cases can be appealed to the two-judge Appellate
Court. Parliament cannot overturn court decisions,
but Appellate Court rulings can be appealed to
Australia's High Court; in practice, however, this rarely happens.
Lower courts consist of the District Court
and the Family Court, both of which are headed by a Resident
Magistrate, who also is the Registrar of the Supreme
Court. Finally, there also are two quasi-courts--the Public Service
Appeal Board and the Police Service Board--both of which
are presided over by the Chief
Justice.
There is a small police force of 109 members under civilian control.
There are no armed
forces.
Principal Government
Officials
President--Ludwig
Scotty
Foreign Minister--David
Adeang
Ambassador to the United Nations--Marlene
Moses
Nauru does not currently have an embassy in the United States but
does have a UN Mission at 800 2nd Ave, Suite 400D, New York, New York
10017 (tel: 212-937-0074,
fax:
212-937-0079).
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
In recent decades, as turmoil grew over Nauru's uncertain future and
economic failures, no-confidence votes that spurred changes of
government became commonplace. In 1997
Nauru had four different presidents in as many months. However,
with the election of Ludwig Scotty in October 2004 and the naming of a
reform-minded government, the pattern has
stopped.
ECONOMY
Having once boasted the second highest per capita GDP in the world
thanks to its fabled phosphate mines, Nauru is today destitute. With
the seeming depletion of readily
accessible phosphate reserves in 2000, mining on a
large-scale commercial basis ended. The decline of mining saw a
dramatic economic contraction, compounded by
past government corruption and disastrous mismanagement of trust funds
that had been expected to provide post-mining revenue
streams for Nauru's citizens. Since 2000, Nauru has relied largely on
payments for fishing rights within its exclusive economic zone, earnings
from hosting two Australian refugee processing camps, and massive
injections of grants and development funding, principally
from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and
more recently Taiwan. In 2006, following rehabilitation of its
industrial plant and marine loading infrastructure, the government-owned
mining company, the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Company or RONPhos,
resumed mining with the aim of exploiting the remaining
harder-to-access phosphate.
Although Nauru had a nominal per capita GDP in excess of $2,700, its
economy is in deep crisis, and the resumption of mining promises only
a limited respite as the country seeks
to find a sustainable economic future. The
private sector is very small and employs less than 300. Currently,
all public servants (even government ministers) and employees of
state-owned enterprises receive bi-weekly payments from government of
just A$140 (about U.S. $118) in lieu of their established salaries.
Nauru imports well over 90 percent of its foodstuffs and other basic
goods, but sea and air transport has become
problematic. In December 2005, the national airline's remaining
airplane was repossessed for non-payment, leaving Nauru dependent on
chartered flights. In September 2006, with financing help from Taiwan,
a replacement aircraft re-established
scheduled commercial flights to Nauru and around the region
under the new name of Our Airline. The provision of electricity and
water, both dependent on expensive imported fuel, is
limited and sporadic. With the help of the Pacific Islands Forum and
numerous development partner nations, Nauru has embarked on a
major, multi-year strategic national development
program to achieve a sustainable economic framework for the
country.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Following independence in 1968, Nauru joined the Commonwealth as a
Special Member. Special Members take part in all
Commonwealth activities except heads of government meetings. They are
not assessed but make
voluntary
contributions toward the running of the Secretariat. They are
eligible for all forms of technical
assistance.
Nauru was admitted to the United Nations in 1999. It is a member of
the Pacific Islands Forum, the South
Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, the South
Pacific Commission, and the South Pacific Applied
Geoscience
Commission.
In 2001 at Australia's request, Nauru became host to approximately
1,200 asylum seekers, mostly Afghan, who were
intercepted while attempting to enter Australia illegally. By
mid-2006, only a single Iraqi refugee remained on the island, having
been assessed by Australia as a security risk and
thus ineligible to enter
Australia. In September 2006, Australia
effectively re-opened the center by
transferring seven Burmese asylum seekers there for assessment.
In exchange for housing the refugees while their
asylum
applications were adjudicated, Australia has provided Nauru with
extensive grants and aid. In March 2007, Australia
transferred 82 Sri Lankan refugees to the processing center in
Nauru, which had been significantly upgraded in the preceding
months.
During 2002 Nauru severed diplomatic recognition with Taiwan and
signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations
with the People's Republic of China. This move
followed China's promise to provide more than U.S. $130
million in aid. However, in May 2005, Nauru re-established diplomatic
ties with Taiwan, ending its relationship with China.
Taiwan remains one of only two countries, the other being
Australia, with a diplomatic mission on Nauru. In March 2007, Nauru
established an embassy in
Taipei.
U.S.-NAURU
RELATIONS
Relations between the United States and Nauru are cordial. The U.S.
has no consular or diplomatic offices in Nauru. Officers
of the American Embassy in Suva, Fiji, are concurrently accredited to
Nauru and make periodic visits.
Trade between the United States and Nauru is limited by the latter's
small size and economic problems. The value of two-way
trade in 2005 was $1.6
million.
Principal U.S. Embassy
Officials
Ambassador--Larry M.
Dinger
Deputy Chief of Mission--Ted A.
Mann
Political/Economic/Commercial Affairs--Brian J.
Siler
Consul--Debra J.
Towry
Management Officer--Ila S.
Jurisson
Regional Environmental Officer--Joseph P.
Murphy
Regional Security Officer--Jim T.
Suor
The U.S. Embassy at Suva, Fiji, also accredited to Nauru, is located
at 31 Loftus Street, Suva (tel: 679-331-4466; fax
679-330-2267). The mailing
address is U.S. Embassy, P.O. Box 218, Suva,
Fiji.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizenstraveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Nauru Country Facts
