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

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

30 km

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

highest point: Command Ridge 70 m

phosphates, fish

arable land 0%; permanent crops 20%; permanent pasture 0%

0 sq km (2012)

extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast

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

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

9,642 (July 2017 est.)

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%)

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.)

0.53% (2017 est.)

24 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-12.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast

22.1 years

2.8 children born/woman (2017 est.)

35.6% (2007)

3.3% of GDP (2014)

1 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

5 beds/1,000 population (2010)

urban: 96.5% of population

total: 96.5% of population

urban: 3.5% of population

total: 3.5% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 65.6% of population

total: 65.6% of population

urban: 34.4% of population

total: 34.4% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

61% (2016)

4.8% (2007)

NA

parliamentary republic

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baitsi, 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

Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]

Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party

Nauru Party (informal)

Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICCt, IFAD, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

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

blue with a narrow, horizontal, gold 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 gold stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru; the white star color represents phosphate, the basis of the island's wealth

frigatebird, calophyllum flower; national colors: blue, yellow, white

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 later major source of support. Primary reserves of phosphates were exhausted and mining ceased in 2006, but mining of a deeper layer of "secondary phosphate" in the interior of the island began the following year. The secondary phosphate deposits may last another 30 years. Earnings from Nauru’s export of phosphate remains an important source of income. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist; estimates of Nauru's GDP vary widely.

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 cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future.

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 boosted government income. Housing, hospitals, and other capital plant are deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the Nauruan government and economy afloat continues to climb.

$151 million (2016 est.)

$135 million (2015 est.)

$130 million (2014 est.)

$102 million (2015 est.)

10.4% (2016 est.)

2.8% (2015 est.)

36.5% (2014 est.)

$11,600 (2016 est.)

$11,400 (2015 est.)

$11,100 (2014 est.)

coconuts

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

NA%

NA

23% (2011 est.)

90% (2004 est.)

NA%

65% of GDP (2016 est.)

77.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

1 July - 30 June

8.2% (2016 est.)

9.8% (2016 est.)

$2 million (2016 est.)

$-10 million (2015 est.)

$125 million (2013 est.)

$110.3 million (2012 est.)

phosphates

Nigeria 45.5%, Australia 13.7%, Japan 13%, South Korea 11.1%, NZ 8.7% (2016)

$143.1 million (2013 est.)

$41.2 million (2012 est.)

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Australia 71.9%, Fiji 8.1%, Japan 4.4% (2016)

$33.3 million (2004 est.)

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

1.3442 (2016 est.)

1.3452 (2015 est.)

1.3291 (2014 est.)

1.1094 (2013 est.)

0.9695 (2012 est.)

25 million kWh (2015 est.)

23.25 million kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

5,000 kW (2015 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

20% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

394.8 bbl/day (2014 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.)

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

C2 (2016)

1 (2013)

no regular military forces (2012)

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

none