Abstract

PIP: The Republic of Nauru is a 21 sq km island in the West-Central Pacific Ocean. It consists of raised coral reefs, composed largely of phosphate-bearing rock. The island has a tropical monsoon climate. The estimated 1987 population was 8748, with an annual growth rate of 1.80%. 58% of the people are Nauruan -- a mixture of Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian; and the rest of the population consists of other Pacific Islanders (26%), Chinese (8%), and Europeans (8%). The Nauruans are Christian, and the official language is Nauruan. Education is free and compulsory for Nauruans aged 6-16 and for others aged 6-15. Literacy is 99%. The gross national product is over $160 million, but varies with the price of phosphate. Per capita income is $20,000. The only export is 1.8 million metric tons of phosphate a year; food and water are imported. The phosphate is expected to run out by the early 1990s, but a large portion of the revenues from the sale of phosphate are invested in longterm trust funds and various enterprises, such as the Nauru Pacific Shipping Line. Nauruans pay no taxes, and there is no foreign aid. The original islanders were probably castaways from some other island. The British discovered the island in 1798 and called it Pleasant Island. The island was under German control from 1881 to 1914 and became a trust territory administered by the Australians in 1919. The Japanese held Nauru from 1942 to 1946 and deported 1800 Nauruans to build an airstrip on Truk; of these only 737 survived to return to Nauru. Australia again administered Nauru from 1946 until independence in 1968. Since then, the island has been governed by a president, elected by the parliament, and the the Nauru Local Government Council. However, continuous political infighting has destabilized the government, and the 1st present, Hammer DeRoburt, has been president between 1968 and 1976, between 1978 and September 1986, and since December 1986.