NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Republic of Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic. |
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
water: 0 sq km land: 21 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
30 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 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, fish |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA sq km |
|
Natural hazards:
|
periodic droughts |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
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 |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
12,329 (July 2002 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 39.6% (male 2,515; female 2,366)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 3,578; female 3,656) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 108; female 106) (2002 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.96% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
26.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
10.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 61.57 years
female: 65.26 years (2002 est.) male: 58.05 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.5 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
NA% |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
NA |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
NA |
|
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:
|
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |