Nauru - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Nauru. Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind the Holy See (Vatican City) and Monaco; it is the smallest country in the Pacific Ocean, the smallest country outside Europe, the world's smallest island country, and the world's smallest independent republic; situated just 53 km south of the Equator, 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is
Geographical data of Nauru
| Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 0 32 S, 166 55 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| Tarrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
| Natural Resources | phosphates, fish |
| Natural Hazards | periodic droughts |
| Irrigated Land | 0 sq km (2022) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | |
| Coastline | 30 km |
| Climate | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 21 sq km |
| Water Area | 0 sq km |
| comparative Area | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Command Ridge 70 m |
| Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 20% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 0% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 20% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 0% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 80% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Extensive phosphate mining made approximately 90% of the island unsuitable for farming; most people live in the fertile coastal areas, especially along the southwest coast
People and Society
In Nauru, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Nauruan 94.6%, I-Kiribati 2.2%, Fijian 1.3%, other 1.9% (2021 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.39% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 20.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 12% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | |
| Total fertility rate | 2.55 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 1.25 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | NA |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 59.6% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | 7.1% of GDP (2021) NA |
| Net Migration rate | -9.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Nauruan | Nauruan(s) |
| Languages | Nauruan 93% (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English 2% (widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes), other 5% (includes Gilbertese 2% and Chinese 2%) (2011 est.) |
| Religions | Protestant 60.4% (Nauruan Congregational 34.7%, Assemblies of God 11.6%, Pacific Light House 6.3%, Nauru Independent 3.6%, Baptist 1.5, Seventh Day Adventist 1.3%, other Protestant 1.4%), Roman Catholic 33.9%, other 4.2%, none 1.3%, no answer 0.3% (2021 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 29.6% (male 1,493/female 1,433) |
| 15-64 years | 66% (male 3,220/female 3,309) |
| 65 years and over | 4.4% (2024 est.) (male 143/female 294) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 69.9 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 66 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 3.9 |
| Potential support ratio | 25.8 (2021) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 27.8 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 27.3 years |
| Female | 28.4 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 100% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 0.18% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | . |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.97 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.49 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 9.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 68.6 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 65 years |
| Female | 72.3 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: NA |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: NA |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 96.3% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: NA |
| Improved: total | total: 96.3% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 3.7% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: NA |
| Unimproved: total | total: 3.7% of population (2017 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 2.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 1.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 48.5% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 47.8% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 49.1% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Nauru
Want to know more about Nauru? Check all different factbooks for Nauru below.
