Nauru: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Nauru |
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Background:
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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 |
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Location:
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Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
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Geographic coordinates:
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0 32 S, 166 55 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 21 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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30 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM contiguous zone: 24 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
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Terrain:
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sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates, fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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 |