upper-middle-income Pacific island country; phosphate resource exhaustion made island interior uninhabitable; licenses fishing rights; houses Australia’s Regional Processing Centre; former tax haven; largely dependent on foreign subsidies

The beautiful buff color of the New Jersey State flag dates all the way back to 1779 and the New Jersey Regiments mustered for the Revolutionary War. The color was chosen by General George Washington when he was directed by the Continental Congress...

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

installed generating capacity: 19,000 kW (2022 est.)consumption: 37.48 million kWh (2022 est.)transmission/distribution losses: 3.922 million kWh (2022 est.)

By 1000 B.C., Micronesian and Polynesian settlers inhabited Nauru, and the island was divided among 12 clans. Nauru developed in relative isolation because ocean currents made landfall on the island difficult. As a result, the Nauruan language does not clearly resemble any other in the Pacific region. In 1798, a British mariner was the first European to spot the island and by 1830, European whalers used Nauru as a supply stop, trading firearms for food. A civil war in 1878 reduced the population by more than a third. Germany forcibly annexed Nauru in 1888 by holding the 12 chiefs under house arrest until they consented to the annexation. Phosphate was discovered in 1900 and was heavily mined, although Nauru and Nauruans earned about one tenth of one percent of the profits from the phosphate deposits.Australian forces captured Nauru from Germany during World War I, and in 1919, it was placed under a joint Australian-British-New Zealand mandate with Australian administration. Japan occupied Nauru during World War II and used its residents as forced labor elsewhere in the Pacific while destroying much of the infrastructure on the island. After the war, Nauru became a UN trust territory under Australian administration. In 1962, recognizing the phosphate stocks would eventually be depleted, Australian Prime Minister Robert MENZIES offered to resettle all Nauruans on Curtis Island in Queensland, but Nauruans rejected that plan and opted for independence, which was achieved in 1968. In 1970, Nauru purchased the phosphate mining assets, and income from the mines made Nauruans among the richest people in the world. However, a series of unwise investments led to near bankruptcy by 2000. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006. Widespread phosphate mining officially ceased in 2006.As its economy faltered, Nauru briefly tried to rebrand itself as an offshore banking haven, an initiative that ended in 2005, and the country made a successful bid for Russian humanitarian aid in 2008. In 2001, Australia set up the Nauru Regional Processing Center (NRPC), an offshore refugee detention facility, paying Nauru per person at the center. The NRPC closed in 2008 but reopened in 2012. The number of refugees steadily declined after 2014, and in 2020, the remaining people were moved to Brisbane, Australia, effectively shuttering the NRPC. However, in 2023, Australia agreed to continue funding NRPC for two years and restarted settling asylees in the center in mid-2023. The center remains the Government of Nauru’s largest source of income.

no regular military forces; the police force, under the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, maintains internal security and, as necessary, external security (2024)

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fish, phosphates, gas turbines, power equipment, plastic products (2022)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several justices); note - in late 2017, the Nauruan Government revoked the 1976 High Court Appeals Act, which had allowed appeals beyond the Nauruan Supreme Court, and in early 2018, the government formed its own appeals courtjudge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president to serve until age 65subordinate courts: District Court, Family Court

name: no official capital; government offices in the Yaren Districttime difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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conventional long form: Republic of Nauruconventional short form: Naurulocal long form: Republic of Naurulocal short form: Nauruformer: Pleasant Islandetymology: the island name may derive from the Nauruan word "anaoero" meaning "I go to the beach"

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 star's white color represents phosphate, the basis of the island's wealth

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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 (2019)

improved: urban: 100% of populationrural: NAtotal: 100% of populationunimproved: urban: 0% of populationrural: NAtotal: 0% of population (2020 est.)

agricultural land: 20% (2018 est.)arable land: 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)forest: 0% (2018 est.)other: 80% (2018 est.)

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history: effective 29 January 1968amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament; amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and authorities of the executive and legislative branches, also require two-thirds majority of votes in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2018

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Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes Gilbertese 2% and Chinese 2%) (2011 est.)note: data represent main language spoken at home; Nauruan is spoken by 95% of the population, English by 66%, and other languages by 12%

improved: urban: 96.3% of populationrural: NAtotal: 96.3% of populationunimproved: urban: 3.7% of populationrural: NAtotal: 3.7% of population (2017 est.)

4.99% of GDP (2018 est.)9.46% of GDP (2017 est.)12.04% of GDP (2016 est.)note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$8.406 million (2018 est.)$14.11 million (2017 est.)$2.079 million (2016 est.)note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$94.2 million (2021 est.)$103 million (2020 est.)$88.2 million (2019 est.)note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

coconuts, tropical fruits, pork, eggs, pork offal, pork fat, chicken, papayas, vegetables, cabbages (2022)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

ships, plastic products, other foods, cars, refined petroleum (2022)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Nauru does not have formal political parties; alliances within the government are often formed based on extended family ties

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$187 million (2021 est.)$105 million (2020 est.)$32.7 million (2019 est.)note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 45,457 (2018)annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7.94 million (2018) mt-km

limited natural freshwater resources, roof storage tanks that collect rainwater and desalination plants provide water; a century of intensive phosphate mining beginning in 1906 left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland; cadmium residue, phosphate dust, and other contaminants have caused air and water pollution with negative impacts on health; climate change has brought on rising sea levels and inland water shortages

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general assessment: relies on satellite as the primary Internet service provider and mobile operator; internet connectivity on the island is very limited and unstable due to the vulnerability of the network infrastructure to bad weather and limited network coverage, with several blind spots (2022)domestic: fixed-line 0 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership approximately 80 per 100 (2021)international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

description: unicameral Parliament (19 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by majority vote using the "Dowdall" counting system by which voters rank candidates on their ballots; members serve 3-year terms)elections: last held on 24 September 2022 (next to be held in September 2025)election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 19; composition - men 17, women 2, percentage women 10.5%

agricultural land: 20% (2018 est.)arable land: 0% (2018 est.)permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.)permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)forest: 0% (2018 est.)other: 80% (2018 est.)

chief of state: President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023)head of government: President David ADEANG (since 30 October 2023)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of Parliamentelections/appointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament for 3-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 30 October 2023 (next to be held in 2026)election results: 2023: David ADEAGN elected president over Delvin THOMA, 10-82022: Russ KUN elected president unopposednote: the president is both chief of state and head of government

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

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -Exchange rates:1.505 (2023 est.)1.442 (2022 est.)1.331 (2021 est.)1.453 (2020 est.)1.439 (2019 est.)

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 1,493/female 1,433)15-64 years: 66% (male 3,220/female 3,309)65 years and over: 4.4% (2024 est.) (male 143/female 294)

Thailand 59%, Philippines 19%, South Korea 11%, India 3%, Japan 2% (2022)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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Australia 47%, China 17%, Japan 12%, Fiji 11%, NZ 2% (2022)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind the Holy See (Vatican City) and Monaco; it is the smallest country in the Pacific Ocean, the smallest country outside Europe, the world's smallest island country, and the world's smallest independent republic; 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

under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of AustraliaNauru has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Nauru's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2024)

exports of goods and services: 54.7% (2022 est.)imports of goods and services: -113.2% (2022 est.)note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

particulate matter emissions: 7.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)carbon dioxide emissions: 0.05 megatons (2016 est.)methane emissions: 0.01 megatons (2020 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

Protestant 60.4% (Nauruan Congregational 34.7%, Assemblies of God 11.6%, Pacific Light House 6.3%, Nauru Independent 3.6%, Baptist 1.5, Seventh Day Adventist 1.3%, other Protestant 1.4%), Roman Catholic 33.9%, other 4.2%, none 1.3%, no answer 0.3% (2021 est.)

total: 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)beer: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)spirits: 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

chief of mission: Ambassador Margo DEIYE (since 1 December 2021); note - also Permanent Representative to the UNchancery: 801 2nd Avenue, Third Floor, New York, NY 10017telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079email address and website: nauru@onecommonwealth.orghttps://www.un.int/nauru/