Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/168.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 6.7 KB | 293 lines

@node Geography (Nauru)
@section Geography (Nauru)

@display

Location:
  Oceania, 500 km north-northeast of Papua New Guinea
Map references:
  Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  21 km2
 land area:
  21 km2
 comparative area:
  about one-tenth the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  30 km
Maritime claims:
 exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain:
  sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate
  plateau in center
Natural resources:
  phosphates
Land use:
 arable land:
  0%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  0%
 forest and woodland:
  0%
 other:
  100%
Irrigated land:
  NA km2
Environment:
  only 53 km south of Equator
Note:
  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



@end display

@node People (Nauru)
@section People (Nauru)

@display

Population:
  9,882 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.42% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  18.92 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.1 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  66.68 years
 male:
  64.3 years
 female:
  69.18 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.2 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Nauruan(s)
 adjective:
  Nauruan
Ethnic divisions:
  Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religions:
  Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Languages:
  Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely
  understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Literacy:
 total population:
  NA%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
 by occupation:
  NA



@end display

@node Government (Nauru)
@section Government (Nauru)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:   Republic of Nauru
 conventional short form:
  Nauru
 former:
  Pleasant Island
Digraph:
  NR
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  no official capital; government offices in Yaren
Administrative divisions:
  14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu,
  Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence:
  31 January 1968 (from UN trusteeship under Australia, New Zealand, and UK)
Constitution:
  29 January 1968
Legal system:
  own Acts of Parliament and British common law
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Elections:
 President:
  last held 19 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1995); results -
  Bernard DOWIYOGO elected by Parliament
 Parliament:
  last held on 14 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1995); results -
  percent of vote NA; seats - (18 total) independents 18
Executive branch:
  president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 12 December 1989)
Member of:
  AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, INTERPOL, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UPU
Diplomatic representation in US:
  there is a Nauruan Consulate in Agana (Guam)
US diplomatic representation:
  the US Ambassador to Australia is accredited to Nauru
Flag:
  blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large
  white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates
  the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and
  the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru



@end display

@node Economy (Nauru)
@section Economy (Nauru)

@display

Overview:
  Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are
  expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans
  one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World - $10,000 annually.
  Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be imported, including
  fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the
  replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems.
  Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help
  cushion the transition.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $90 million (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $10,000 (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
  0%
Budget:
  revenues $69.7 million; expenditures $51.5 million, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY86 est.)
Exports:
  $93 million (f.o.b., 1984)
 commodities:
  phosphates
 partners:
  Australia, NZ
Imports:
  $73 million (c.i.f., 1984)
 commodities:
  food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
 partners:
  Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
External debt:
  $33.3 million
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
  14,000 kW capacity; 50 million kWh produced, 5,430 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
  phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products
Agriculture:
  coconuts; other agricultural activity negligible; almost completely
  dependent on imports for food and water
Economic aid:
  Western (non-US) countries (1970-89), $2 million
Currency:
  1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4837 (January 1993), 1.3600 (1992),
  1.2834 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (Nauru)
@section Communications (Nauru)

@display

Railroads:
  3.9 km; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing
  facilities on the southwest coast
Highways:
  about 27 km total; 21 km paved, 6 km improved earth
Ports:
  Nauru
Merchant marine:
  1 bulk ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,426 GRT/5,750 DWT
Airports:
 total:
  1
 useable:
  1
 with permanent-surface runways:
  1
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  adequate local and international radio communications provided via
  Australian facilities; 1,600 telephones; 4,000 radios; broadcast stations -
  1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Nauru)
@section Defense Forces (Nauru)

@display

Branches:
  Directorate of the Nauru Police Force
 note:
  no regular armed forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 NA; fit for military service NA
Defense expenditures:
  $NA - no formal defense structure



@end display