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Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and
international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast
Asia to the West

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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Nauru

Introduction

Nauru

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 Nauru

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: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 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 Nauru

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