The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888. Its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and 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

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

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

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

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

14,019 (July 2010 est.)

23.9 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

6.42 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

2.77 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)

Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, 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)

29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)

Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; Nauru Party (informal); note - loose multiparty system

Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, 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, 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

Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Reserves of phosphates may only last until 2010 at current mining rates. 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. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. Nauru lost further revenue in 2008 with the closure of Australia's refugee processing center, making it almost totally dependent on food imports and foreign aid. Housing, hospitals, and other capital plant is deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continues to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.

$60 million (2005 est.)

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

31 million kWh (2007 est.)

28.83 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

1,026 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

$20 million (2004 est.)

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

$33.3 million (2004 est.)

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2894 (2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005)

1 government-owned television 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)

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2009)

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