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Nauru
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{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox_Country
|native_name =''Ripublik Naoero''
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Nauru
|common_name =Nauru
|image_flag =Flag of Nauru.svg
|image_coat =Coat of arms of Nauru.png
|image_map =LocationNauru.png
|national_motto =God's Will First
|national_anthem =''
Nauru Bwiema''
|official_languages =
English language English,
Nauruan language Nauruan
|capital =None
1
|latd=0 |latm=32 |latNS=S |longd=166 |longm=55 |longEW=E
|largest_city =
Yaren
|government_type =Republic
|leader_titles =President
|leader_names =
Ludwig Scotty
|area_rank =192nd
|area_magnitude =1 E7
|area=21
|areami²=8.1
|percent_water =Negligible
|population_estimate =13,048
|population_estimate_rank =225th
|population_estimate_year = July 2005
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|population_density =621
|population_densitymi² =1,608
|population_density_rank = 10th
|GDP_PPP = $60 million
|GDP_PPP_rank = 225th
|GDP_PPP_year= 2001
|GDP_PPP_per_capita =$5,000
(2001 est.)
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =135th
|sovereignty_type =
Independence
|established_events =
from the Australia, NZ, and UK
administered UN trusteeship
|established_dates =
31 January 1968
|HDI = n/a
|HDI_rank =n/a
|HDI_year =2003
|HDI_category =
unranked
|currency =
Australian dollar
|currency_code =AUD
|country_code =
|time_zone =
|utc_offset =+12
|time_zone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|cctld =
.nr
|calling_code = 674
|footnotes =
1Yaren is the largest settlement. Nauru is the only country in the world with no official capital.
}}
The '''Republic of Nauru''' (pronounced /{{IPA|næˈuË?.ɹuË?}}/), formerly known as '''Pleasant Island''', is an island
republic in the South
Pacific Ocean. It is the world's third smallest independent country both in terms of population and land area. It is also the smallest non-European country (in terms of land area), and it is the only nation in the world with no official
capital.
Much of its past prosperity derived from the large amount of
phosphate deposits on the island, believed to be either of
guano or of marine origin.
Superphosphate is used as a
fertilizer around the world in
aerial topdressing and the majority of it has been exported to
Australia. With the exhaustion of the phosphate supplies, Nauru faces an uncertain future. In the 1990s, it tried to gain new sources of income by introducing itself as a
tax haven, but this story came to an end in July 2004.
Nauru currently houses a
Nauru detention centre detention centre, which holds and processes
asylum seekers as part of Australia's
Pacific Solution.
History
{{Main|History of Nauru}}
Image:Nauru Annexation Germany 1888.jpg thumb|left|Nauru annexed in 1888 by Germany
Nauru was first settled by
Polynesian and
Melanesian settlers. The first European to arrive was Captain
John Fearn who was a
whale hunter in 1798, but Nauru continued as an independent island society, reigned by a king (the most widely known being King
Auweyida), until it was annexed by
Germany in 1888 to
German New Guinea. Mining of its extensive phosphate reserves began in 1905.
Following
World War I, Nauru became a
League of Nations League of Nations Mandate territory in 1920, administered by Australia. In 1947, a trusteeship was approved by the
United Nations. Nauru achieved independence in 1968. The founding president was
Hammer DeRoburt. Nauru is a special member of the
Commonwealth of Nations and joined the United Nations as a member state in 1999.
In 2001, the
MV Tampa, a ship which had rescued 460 refugees (from various countries including
Afghanistan) from a stranded 20-metre (65
foot (unit of length) ft) boat and was seeking to dock in
Australia, was diverted to Nauru as part of the
Pacific Solution. The refugees were housed in a detention center in Nauru. As of 2005, all women and children have been granted asylum in Australia. Only two Iraqi men, who have been deemed a security risk by the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASIO, remain.
Politics
{{Main|Politics of Nauru}}
Image:Nauru-parliament.jpg thumb|left|Nauru parliament
The 18-member Parliament is elected every three years. The Parliament elects a president from amongst its members, who appoints a Cabinet of five to six people. The President is both the head of state and head of government. There is a loose multiparty system; the two main parties are the Democratic Party and Nauru Party (informal).
Between 1999 and 2003, a series of no-confidence votes and elections resulted in two people,
René Harris and
Bernard Dowiyogo, leading the country for alternating periods. Dowiyogo died in office on
March 10,
2003 in
Washington, DC after heart surgery.
Ludwig Scotty was elected President on
May 29,
2003; however, in August 2003 there was another no confidence vote. Harris regained support and was re-elected president.
On
October 1,
2004, Scotty declared a state of emergency and dissolved parliament after it failed to pass a national budget.
On
June 1,
2005 Nauru severed diplomatic ties with the
People's Republic of China and re-established links with
Republic of China Taiwan (Republic of China), which had existed for 22 years prior to 2003.
image:Nauru_map.jpg thumb|right|250px|Map of Nauru
Districts
{{Main|Districts of Nauru}}
Nauru has 14
districts:
*
Aiwo
*
Anabar
*
Anetan
*
Anibare
*
Baiti
*
Boe District Boe
*
Buada
*
Denigomodu
*
Ewa District Ewa
*
Ijuw
*
Meneng
*
Nibok
*
Uaboe
*
Yaren
Geography
{{Main|Geography of Nauru}}
Image:Nauru-airphoto.jpg thumb|Nauru from the air
Nauru is a small phosphate rock island in the South
Pacific Ocean, south of the
Marshall Islands. The island is a raised atoll, surrounded by a fringing reef, partially exposed at low tide. Most of the population live on the narrow coastal belt. A central plateau, covering approximately four-fifths of the land area, rises 70 metres above sea level.
There are limited natural fresh water resources. Roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but islanders are mostly dependent on a single, aging
Desalination desalination plant.
Intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a
United Kingdom UK,
Australia, and
New Zealand consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources.
Nauru's climate is extremely
humid year-round because of its proximity to the
Equator.
Economy
{{Main|Economy of Nauru}}
Image:Nauru-phosphateship.jpg thumb|left|Phosphate ship in Nauru
Image:Nauru-phosphatetrain.jpg thumb|Phosphate train in Nauru
Revenues of Nauru have come from exports of
phosphates, but reserves are now almost exhausted. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates previously gave Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the
Third World, few other resources exist, with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. The government has been borrowing heavily to finance fiscal deficits.
Another source of revenue was office rents from
Nauru House, one of the tallest buildings in
Melbourne, built on the profits from phosphates. Unfortunately, in the 1990s, mismanagement and corruption ruined the once-substantial savings of the island government. The huge earnings from the phosphates mining have been wasted, and now Nauru faces a very uncertain future. In November 2004, in an effort to pay off some of Nauru's creditors, the nation's largest assets in Melbourne, including Nauru House, were sold for over $150 million.
In the 1990s, Nauru introduced itself as a
tax haven, soon becoming one of the favourite spots for dirty money of the
Russian mafia. A no-questions-asked policy enabled 70 billion dollars of assets belonging to Russian gangsters to be funneled to Nauru (an estimate by
Central Bank of the Russian Federation). This led the
Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering FATF to identify Nauru as one of fifteen non-cooperative countries in its fight against
money laundering. For example, a bank could be established with as little as $25,000 without visiting the island or maintaining records. At present, Nauru's days as a banking centre are waning, with anti-avoidance legislation having been introduced and foreign
hot money leaving the country. In October 2005 this legislation - and its effective enforcement - led the FATF the lifting of the "non-cooperative" designation.
Nauru is currently involved in an Australian lawsuit against the United States over a failed underground agreement. Allegedly, representatives of the United States offered billions of dollars worth of economic support to the island. In exchange, Nauru enacted legislation limiting the efficacy of overseas money laundering and tax evasion. Simultaneously, they established a Nauruan "stooge" embassy in China (actually functioning under United States control), assisting defecting North Korean scientists and officials across the border. This supposedly included
Kyong Wonha, the scientist allegedly responsible for much of
Pyongyang's nuclear program. This initiative was termed "
Operation Weasel." When news of this agreement surfaced after Nauru faithfully followed through with the necessary legislation and the preliminaries of the embassy (which drew suspicion from China as it was staffed entirely by westerners), the United States responded that the agents who made the deal with Nauru never had the authority to make such a contract, and Nauru has not yet received the promised aid. Nauru's case against the United States is still pending, but preliminary judgments favor the island nation over the USA.
Demographics
{{Main|Demographics of Nauru}}
{{Seealso|Special distinctions of Nauru}}
The official language is
Nauruan language Nauruan, a Pacific island language.
English language English is widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes. The main religion is
Christianity (two-thirds
Protestant, one-third
Roman Catholic). There is also a sizeable
Bahá'à Faith Bahá'à community.
Culture
Image:Aiwo.jpg Aiwo.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|Community of [[Aiwo, from east.html" title="Meaning of thumb|Community of [[Aiwo">right|thumb|Community of [[Aiwo, from east">thumb|Community of [[Aiwo">right|thumb|Community of [[Aiwo, from east
{{Main|Culture of Nauru}}
The island's traditional culture is all but vanished: Nauru is considered to be one of the most Westernized of the Pacific islands.
The
national sport is
Australian Rules Football (see
Australian rules football in Nauru). Nauru has also had international success in
weightlifting.
Marcus Stephen has been the most successful lifter to date, winning several
Commonwealth Games medals. He was elected to Parliament in 2003. There is a
stadium under construction in the district of
Meneng.
*
Nauruan indigenous religion
See also
Image:Nauru-sunset.jpg thumb|Nauru sunset
Image:Nauru-phosphatefields.jpg thumb|Phosphate fields in Nauru
Image:Nauru airport entrance.jpg thumb|Entrance to Nauru airport
Image:Linkbelt1999-Anzeigetafel.jpg thumb|Aiwo, Nauru
*
Communications in Nauru
*
Foreign relations of Nauru
*
Holidays in Nauru
**
Angam Day
*
List of political parties in Nauru
**
Naoero Amo
*
Nauri language Nauruan
*
Nauru Phosphate Corporation
*
Military of Nauru
*
Politics of Nauru
**
Flotilla of Hope
* People of note
**
Bernard Dowiyogo
**
Ludwig Scotty
**
Hammer DeRoburt
**
King Auweyida
**
Kieren Keke
**
René Harris
**
Alois Kayser
**
Philip Delaporte
*
Special distinctions of Nauru
*
Transportation in Nauru
**
Nauru Pacific Line
**
Pacific Forum Line
**
Air Nauru
*
Nauru Detention Centre
External links
-
CenPacNet, the country's Internet service provider
-
CIA World Factbook - Information and statistics
-
U.S. Consular Information Sheet
-
Nauru Overview
-
Country Profile BBC News
-
Jane's Nauru Home Page
-
"Nauru Island: Far Side Of Paradise", ''Albion Monitor'',
26 April,
2003
-
"Paradise well and truly lost", ''
The Economist'',
20 December 2001
-
Radio program "This American Life" featured a 30-minute story on Nauru"
-
Secretariat of the Pacific Community - Official site of the Pacific Community
-
Yahoo! Travel Informations Nauru
-
Air Nauru Flight Schedule
-
"View on Nauru: Between a mined-out rock and a hard place" Uniya View on the Pacific briefing series, July 2005
-
Cine Film footage of Island Life in 1979, Including Phosphate Excavation
-
Report about asylum seekers in Nauru on Television New Zealand
{{Districts of Nauru}}
{{Oceania}}
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