What are the Key Facts of Nauru?

Where is Nauru?

Nauru is an island nation in Oceania. It is located in the south of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

What is the Geography of Nauru?

Nauru is a small country having a total area of 21 sq. km (8.1 sq. mi), out of which 21 sq. km (8.1 sq. mi) is land area and 0 sq. km (0 sq. mi) is water area. In terms of total area, it is the 3^rd smallest country behind the Vatican. It has no land boundary and a 30 km (19 mi) long coastline. The highest elevation point of Nauru is the Command Ridge at 70 m (230 ft). The lowest elevation point is the Pacific Ocean at 0 m (0 ft).

The terrain is characterized by sandy beach rising to fertile ring around raised coral reefs having phosphate plateau in the center. Besides the Command Ridge, the other highest point in the country is the Topside in Central Plateau. There are no rivers in this island country. The only significant lake in Nauru is the permanent, brackish Buada Lagoon or Lake Buada. There are sandy beaches in the coastal strip fringed by palm trees.

At the island’s perimeter, there is a coastal plain. It rises to a fertile section that is around 275 m (902 ft) wide. From this belt, a coral cliff rises to a central plateau. There are no territories or dependencies of this island nation.

Nauru, in the west-central Pacific Ocean, is surrounded by a coral reef that is dotted with pinnacles and at the same time exposed at low tide. Deepwater bounds the coral reef seaward. The coastline is more or less smooth and no significant indentations are there. 4/5^th of the landmass in Nauru consists of phosphate-bearing rock in the central plateau. In the Pacific Ocean, it is one of the largest phosphate-rock islands.

Nauru is one of those sixteen low-lying nations in the Pacific Islands that are facing the brunt of the global warming and environmental crisis.

What is the Climate of Nauru?

Nauru has a tropical climate with a monsoon pattern. It remains hot and humid round the year. Rain takes place constantly and there is no dry season.

During December-to-April, there is a rainier period. Per month rainfall is around 150 mm (6 in). However, maximum rainfall happens during the 3 months time from December to February. During these three months, the per month rainfall level is 250 mm (10 in) or more.

May-to-November is the drier period when the per month rainfall amount is around 100-150 mm (4-6 in). The average annual rainfall level is around 2,000 mm (80 in). The lowest rainfall takes place in June. Showers or thunderstorms usually accompany rains.

The temperature remains stable throughout the year with average lows hovering around 24-25 °C (75-77 °F) and highs hovering around 30 °C (86 °F). During October-December, the temperature increases slightly and can reach around 35 °C (95 °F) during November-April. The sea temperature remains pleasantly warm around the year.

The best time to visit Nauru is during May-November when the least rainfall takes place.

What is the Economy of Nauru?

The economy of Nauru is dependent mainly on the export of phosphates. The country imports most of its necessities (including petroleum products, fuels, chemicals, machinery equipment, foodstuffs, etc.), mostly from Australia.

Though the primary phosphate reserves have exhausted, the miner has now turned to a deeper layer of “secondary phosphate”, found in the interior parts of the country. The mining of these secondary phosphates started in 2007 and it is expected to be exhausted by 2037.

The nominal GDP of Nauru was US$ 114,718,022.803 and the annual GDP growth rate was -3.478% in 2018. The country had a US$10.9 million negative balance of trade as it exported US$24.7 million of items and imported US$35.6 million of items. The major export items of Nauru are calcium phosphates, hydrogen, x-ray equipment, transmissions, and other printed material. The major import items are poultry meat, electric generating set, office machine parts, frozen bovine meat, refined petroleum, etc.

2011 figures show that the country had an unemployment rate of 23%. In 2013, the rate of poverty in Nauru was 24%. 2017 figures show that 33 babies out of the 1,000 babies born die before their 5^th birthday. However, almost the entire population (99.2%) had access to electricity in 2016.

What is the Transportation System of Nauru?

The only airport in the Republic of Nauru is Nauru International Airport (located in Yaren District). Only one airliner, Nauru Airlines, fly to Nauru. 5 airplanes are there is service. It flies to 4 destinations: Australia’s Brisbane, Kiribati’s Tarawa, Fiji’s Nadi, and Marshal Island’s Majuro.

The Pacific Phosphate Company built a 3.9 km long narrow-gauge railway in the country for moving phosphate of lime to the cantilever jetties from the interior. The districts through which these railway tracks run are Anibare, Uaboe, Nibok, Denigomodu, Buada, and Aiwo.

You can move throughout this small island nation on an automobile and bicycle. 30 km (19) of roadways are there, out of which 24 km (15 mi) is paved and 6 km (4 mi) is unpaved. Nauru is the major seaport.

What International Organizations is Nauru part of?

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