Nauru

Nauru

AREA	21.3 sq km (8.2 sq miles).
POPULATION	9500 (1998).
POPULATION DENSITY	446.0 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Yaren District (no official capital).
CAPITAL POPULATION
GEOGRAPHY	Nauru is an oval-shaped outcrop, situated in the Central Pacific west of Kiribati, surrounded by a reef, which is exposed at low tide. Nauru is the world's smallest republic. There is no deep-water harbour on the island but offshore moorings are reputedly the deepest in the world. The island's beaches, interspersed by coral pinnacles, are bordered inland by a fertile coastal strip encircling the island. On the inner side of the fertile section there is a coral cliff, which rises to a height of 60m (200ft). Above the cliff is an extensive plateau bearing high-grade phosphate. The plateau is infertile and unpopulated, with the exception of a small fringe around a shallow lagoon and a few bush-like trees. Mining operations have gutted the island, and when the phosphates run out (probably by the turn of the century), the island will have to be re-landscaped owing to the disruption caused.
GOVERNMENT	Republic. Gained independence from Australia in 1968. Head of State and Government: President Rene Harris since 1999.
LANGUAGE	Nauruan and English are spoken.
RELIGION	Christian, mostly Nauruan Protestant Church.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 12.
ELECTRICITY	110/240 volts AC, 50Hz.

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