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Jai Ganesh

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Nauru

Nauru

Gist

Nauru is a tiny, independent island republic in the South Pacific, known as the world's smallest republic, once rich from phosphate mining but now facing economic and environmental challenges from the mining's devastation, with high rates of obesity, yet possessing a resilient culture and unique language, relying on foreign aid and seeking sustainable development solutions.

Nauru is known for being the world's smallest republic, its history of immense wealth from phosphate mining (leading to extreme prosperity then economic collapse), severe environmental damage, hosting Australian offshore detention centers, and its struggles with obesity and economic sustainability, all while being a unique Pacific island nation with distinct culture and resilience.

Summary

Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of Kiribati) about 300 kilometres (190 mi) to the east. Nauru is also known to have one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with around 70% of all adults over 18 being over 100kg (220 lb).

With an area of only 21 square kilometres (8.1 {mi}^{2}; 2,100 ha; 5,200 acres), Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic and island state, as well as the smallest member state of the Commonwealth of Nations by both area and population. Its population of about 10,800 is the world's third-smallest (not including colonies or overseas territories). Nauru is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.

Settled by Micronesians circa 1000 BCE, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops and was bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, the country entered into United Nations trusteeship. Nauru gained its independence in 1968. At various points since 2001, it has accepted aid from the Australian Government in exchange for hosting the Nauru Regional Processing Centre, a controversial offshore Australian immigration detention facility. As a result of heavy dependence on Australia, some sources have identified Nauru as a client state of Australia.

Nauru is a phosphate-rock island with rich deposits near the surface, which allowed easy strip mining operations for over a century. However, this has seriously harmed the country's environment, causing it to suffer from what is often referred to as the "resource curse". The phosphate was exhausted in the 1990s, and the remaining reserves are not economically viable for extraction. A trust established to manage the island's accumulated mining wealth, set up for the day the reserves would be exhausted, has diminished in value. To earn income, Nauru briefly became a tax haven and illegal money laundering centre.

Details

Nauru, island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of a raised coral island located in southeastern Micronesia, 25 miles (40 km) south of the Equator.

The island is about 800 miles (1,300 km) northeast of the Solomon Islands; its closest neighbor is the island of Banaba, in Kiribati, some 200 miles (300 km) to the east. Nauru has no official capital, but government offices are located in the district of Yaren.

Most of Nauru rises somewhat abruptly from the ocean, and there are no harbors or protected anchorages. A fairly fertile but relatively narrow belt encircles the island and surrounds the shallow inland Buada Lagoon. Farther inland, coral cliffs rise to a plateau 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level, with the highest point at about 213 feet (65 meters). The plateau is largely composed of rock phosphate, leached from guano, or bird droppings. The mineral deposit covers more than two-thirds of the island, and its extraction has left irregular, pinnacle-shaped outcrops of limestone that give the landscape a forbidding, otherworldly appearance.

Nauru is the third smallest country in the world.

Nauru’s climate is tropical, with daytime temperatures in the low 80s F (about 28 °C), tempered by ocean breezes. Rainfall, averaging about 80 inches (2,000 mm) annually, is extremely variable, and prolonged droughts occur. The only locally available water is collected from roof catchment systems, and water is imported as ballast on ships returning to Nauru for loads of phosphate. There are no rivers or streams.

Soils are generally poor and highly porous, and the irregular rainfall limits cultivation to the coastal belt and the lagoon’s fringe. Phosphate mining has ravaged the interior of the island, leaving about four-fifths of it uninhabitable and uncultivable. Subsistence crops, consisting mainly of coconut palms, pandanus, bananas, pineapple, and some vegetables, are not adequate to support the population; the land does yield a great variety of plants and trees, however. Nauru is a favorite stopover point for migratory birds, and chickens have been introduced. There was an absence of mammals until rats, mice, cats, dogs, and pigs were also imported.

People

Most of the island’s residents are indigenous Nauruans. There are small numbers of I-Kiribati (Gilbertese), Australians, New Zealanders, Chinese, and Tuvaluans; many members of the latter two groups were recruited as workers by the phosphate industry. Nauruan is the national language. No adequate written grammar of the language has been compiled, and its relationships to other Micronesian languages are not well understood. English is widely spoken. Nauru is considered one of the most Westernized countries in the South Pacific.

Missionization came later to Nauru than to many other Pacific islands. The first Protestant evangelist arrived in 1899 and was followed three years later by the first Roman Catholic missionary. Today more than four-fifths of Nauruans are Christians; more than half the total population is Protestant (mostly members of the Nauru Congregational Church), and one-third is Roman Catholic.

The settlement pattern on the island is dispersed. People are scattered along the coastal zone, and there is one small village, Buada, inland near the lagoon.

Economy

Agriculture (with the exception of coffee and copra plantations along the coastal and lagoon perimeters), fishing, manufacturing, and tourism are of minor value to the overall economy. However, Nauru has an exclusive economic zone extending 200 miles (320 km) offshore. The sale of commercial fishing licenses began to bring in a steady revenue during the 1990s.

Phosphate has been mined on Nauru since 1907. For decades it was Nauru’s main resource and sole export, dominating the island’s economy, and its quality was the highest in the world. The phosphate industry and government services together provided almost all of the island’s salaried employment. For much of the 20th century the phosphate industry was owned and operated by a corporation jointly managed by the British, Australian, and New Zealand governments. The government of independent Nauru gained control of phosphate operations in 1970, and in the 1980s Nauru was for a time one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of gross domestic product per capita. Landowners received royalties from the phosphate earnings, and many Nauruans were unemployed by choice. By the late 20th century, however, the phosphate deposits were quickly becoming exhausted, and Nauru experienced a severe drop-off in earnings, leading to the country’s near bankruptcy by the early years of the 21st century. Nauru struggled to develop other resources and find alternative sources of income. However, the country experienced some economic respite late in the first decade of the 2000s when repairs and improvements to mining-related infrastructure expedited the extraction and export of the remaining primary phosphate deposits and allowed the more difficult extraction of secondary phosphate deposits.

In the early 21st century Nauru agreed to temporarily house hundreds of Australia-bound asylum seekers while they awaited the processing of their applications. In exchange, the Australian government provided millions of dollars in aid to Nauru.

Virtually all food, water, and manufactured goods are imported. Australia supplies nine-tenths of Nauru’s imports; far smaller amounts come from New Zealand, Fiji, and Japan. Nigeria receives almost half of Nauru’s exports, and South Korea and Australia combined take another one-third. With the exception of those levied on alcohol and tobacco, there are no import duties. There is no income tax.

Nauru has its own banking system; the Bank of Nauru is wholly owned and operated by the government. The financial sector grew in importance after the 1980s as the island became known as an offshore banking center and tax haven. Beginning in 1999, amid allegations that it was a money-laundering conduit for organized crime and terrorist organizations, the financial sector underwent a series of reforms to increase its transparency. As one consequence of its colonial history, Nauru is within the Australian monetary system, and Australian currency is the country’s legal tender.

Transportation on the island is good. A paved road system links all villages. Surface transportation to other destinations is difficult. Because there are no wharves or natural harbors, passengers and cargo are shuttled by barge between oceangoing vessels and a small artificial anchorage. Most regional and international travel is by air. Nauru’s sole airport is located in Yaren district. In 1970 the country launched its national airline, control of which was transferred in 1996 to a government-owned corporation.

Government and society

Nauru’s constitution, implemented with independence in 1968, calls for broadly phrased fundamental rights and freedoms for individuals and a government that combines parliamentary and presidential systems. The parliament, whose members are elected by Nauruan citizens age 20 and older, has a tenure of three years unless dissolved by a vote of no confidence. It elects the president, who is both head of state and head of government. The president appoints a cabinet from the parliament. In 1999 Nauru became a full member of both the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

The tripartite judicial system comprises a Supreme Court, a District Court, and a Family Court. The Supreme Court, presided over by a chief justice, has both original and appellate jurisdiction. At Nauru’s request, final appeals may be taken to the High Court of Australia.

Basic services in education and health are provided free to all citizens, though services have been reduced as a result of the country’s changing economic fortunes. There is no government social security system. Education is compulsory between ages 6 and 16. The government provides several kindergartens and elementary and secondary schools. The Roman Catholic mission has its own school system at the same three levels. Traditionally, students have gone abroad, mainly to Australia, for higher education.

Additional Information:

Overview

Nauru is an island republic in the Pacific Ocean, 42 kilometers south of the equator and 4,000 kilometers northeast of Sydney, with a total land area of 21 square kilometers. Nauru has a population of approximately 13,000 people.

Political overview

Nauru is one of the world's smallest independent states. Its constitution, adopted upon gaining independence in 1968, established it as a republic with a Westminster-style parliamentary system of government. The President is elected by, and responsible to, the unicameral parliament and is both head of government and head of state.

As there are no political parties in Nauru, all Members of Parliament (MPs) stand as independents. MPs are elected every three years by Nauruan citizens over the age of 20. At its first sitting, where possible, parliament chooses a Speaker, a Deputy Speaker and chairs of committees before proceeding to elect the President from among the remaining members. The President then appoints a minimum of four members of parliament to join him or her in forming a cabinet. On 30 October 2023, His Excellency, David Adeang was appointed as President. Nauru's elections are held every three years, its next elections are due in 2025.

Bilateral relations

Australia and Nauru have a deep, long-standing relationship, underpinned by a shared history and people-to-people links. Australia is Nauru’s largest trade, investment, security and development assistance partner.

In December 2024, Nauru and Australia signed the Nauru-Australia Treaty. The Treaty elevates our long-standing relationship to an integrated partnership which supports Nauru’s economic security and resilience. It underscores Australia and Nauru's shared commitment to delivering Pacific-led solutions to meet our region's challenges.

Under the Treaty, Australia will provide $100 million over five years in budget support and $40 million over five years to support Nauru’s policing and security. The Treaty officially entered into force on 19 September 2025.

In September 2017, Nauru and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on security cooperation which affirmed Australia's position as Nauru's primary security partner. Australia works in close cooperation with Nauru to address domestic and transnational security challenges whilst always having regard to the sovereignty and best interests of Nauru.

In September 2012, Australia established a regional processing centre in Nauru for the purpose of processing asylum seekers' international protection claims. In October 2021, Australia and Nauru signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Enduring Regional Processing Capability in Republic of Nauru.

People-to-people links

Every year, a number of Australia Award and Australia Award Pacific Scholarships are offered for Nauruans to study abroad at selected Australian and Pacific regional universities.

Nauru participates in Australia's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, connecting workers from Nauru and other Pacific islands with Australian employers experiencing labour shortages, typically in rural and regional Australia.

Nauru participates in Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa, which offers access to Australian schools, tertiary education, health care and employment market.

Australia and Nauru also enjoy strong diaspora, alumni and professional linkages.

Economic overview

Nauru's economy faces significant constraints common to other small island states. These include its small size, remoteness and limited natural resources outside of fisheries.

Pelagic fish abound in Nauruan waters, but Nauru has yet to establish a substantial fishing industry of its own. Fees from fishing licenses issued to distant water fishing nations are an important source of revenue for Nauru.

Australia contributes financially to, and takes a shared management role in, the Intergenerational Trust Fund for the People of Nauru. The fund aims to provide a future revenue stream for Nauru to supplement domestic revenue in anticipation of current revenue declining over the next 20 years.

Trade and investment

Australia is Nauru's principal import source. Major Australian merchandise exports to Nauru include meat, motor fuel and civil engineering equipment and parts. For more information see the Nauru economic fact sheet.

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