Nauru
Republic of Nauru
Capital: "Nauru Bwiema" (Song of Nauru)
The Nauru Bulletin
Weekly Brief: March 23, 2015
Africa On Wednesday, gunmen stormed a museum in Tunis, Tunisia, killing 22 people and injuring at least 22 more. Tunisian security forces killed two attackers in the ensuing firefight, but three remained at large. No organization immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but local groups affiliated with al Qaeda are active in the country, and the […]
History
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.
Geography
Metric Units
| Total Area | 21 sq km |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | No data |
| Coastline | 30 km |
| Terrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
| Minimum Elevation | 0 m |
| Maximum Elevation | 61 m |
| Climate | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
| Natural Resources | phosphates, fish |
| Arable Land | 0% |
| Permanent Crops | 20% |
Economy
| Gross Domestic Product | $60 million |
| GDP (per capita) | $5,000 |
| GDP Growth | No data% |
| Unemployment Rate | 90% |
| Population in Poverty | No data% |
| GINI Index | No data |
Budget & Debt
| Expenditures | $13.5 million |
| Revenue | $13.5 million |
| Current Account Balance | $No data |
| External Debt | $33.3 million |
Trade
| Exports | $64,000 |
| Export Items | phosphates |
| Export Partners | No data |
| Imports | $20 million |
| Import Items | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery |
| Import Partners | No data |
People
| Population | 9,434 |
| Population Growth | 0.58% |
| Ethnic Groups | Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% |
| Religion | Protestant 45.8% (Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%), Roman Catholic 33.2%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census) |
| Life Expectancy | 66.05 years |
| Infant Mortality | 0.91 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality | 0.6 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
| Electricity Production | 33 million kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 30.69 million kWh |
| From Fossil Fuels | 100% |
| From Nuclear | 0% |
| From Hydroelectric | 0% |
| From Renewable Sources | 0% |
