The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific.

The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate.

After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory.

It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 13,528 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.4% (male 2,508/female 2,410) 15-64 years: 61.6% (male 4,111/female 4,224) 65 years and over: 2% (male 144/female 131) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 21 years male: 20.4 years female: 21.5 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 1.781% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 24.47 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.973 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.099 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.44 years male: 59.85 years female: 67.21 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 3.02 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

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Nationality: noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan

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Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

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Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

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Languages: Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

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Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $60 million (2005 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $NA

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GDP - real growth rate: NA%

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,000 (2005 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

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Labor force - by occupation: note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)

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Unemployment rate: 90% (2004 est.)

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Population below poverty line: NA%

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): -3.6% (1993)

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Budget: revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

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Agriculture - products: coconuts

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Industries: phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

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Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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Electricity - production: 30 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 27.9 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Exports: $64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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Exports - commodities: phosphates

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Exports - partners: South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)

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Imports: $20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

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Imports - commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

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Imports - partners: South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006)

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Debt - external: $33.3 million (2002)

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Economic aid - recipient: $20 million mostly from Australia (2005)

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Currency (code): Australian dollar (AUD)

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Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)

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Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June