Nauru

Nauru, ( ) is a island nation in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Kiribati,  east. Nauru is the smallest island nation, covering just , the smallest republic, and the only republican state without a capital. With 10,670 residents, it is the third least-populated country after Vatican City and Tuvalu.

Nauru is a phosphate rock island, and its main export since 1907 has been phosphate. English and Nauruan are the official languages. The president is Lionel Aingimea.

Geography 

Nauru is a  oval-shaped island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean,  south of the equator. The island is surrounded by a coral reef, which can be seen during low tide. Because of this, a harbor can not be built. Canals let small boats get to the island. A fertile strip  wide lies inland from the beach.

Coral cliffs surround Nauru's plateau. The highest point, the Command Ridge, is  above sea level. The only fertile areas are on the coastal belt, where coconut palms flourish. The land surrounding Buada Lagoon supports bananas, pineapples, vegetables, pandanus trees, and hardwoods such as the tomano tree.

Nauru was one of three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean (the others were Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia). The phosphate reserves on Nauru are now almost used up. Phosphate mining in the plateau has left a barren terrain of limestone pinnacles up to  high. Mining has stripped and devastated about 80 per cent of Nauru's land, and has affected the surrounding Exclusive Economic Zone. About 40 per cent of marine life has been killed by silt and phosphate runoff.

There are only about 60 native vascular plant species on the island. Coconut farming, mining, and introduced species have damaged the island's native vegetation. There are no native land mammals, but there are native insects, land crabs, and birds, including the  Nauru Reed Warbler. The Polynesian rat, cats, dogs, pigs, and chickens have been introduced to Nauru from ships.

There are only a few fresh water sources on Nauru. Storage tanks collect rainwater, but the islanders usually have to rely on desalination plants at Nauru's Utilities Agency. 

The island's biggest problems are climate change and rising sea levels. Nauru is the seventh most global warming threatened nation due to flooding. At least 80 per cent of the land of Nauru is well elevated, but this area will be uninhabitable until the phosphate mining rehabilitation programme is implemented

Climate 
Nauru's climate is hot and very humid year-round because of how close it is to the equator and the ocean. Nauru is hit by monsoon rains between November and February, but does not usually have cyclones. How much rain there is every year is highly variable, and is influenced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. There have been many droughts in Nauru because of this. The temperature on Nauru ranges between  and  during the day, and between  and  at night.

Administrative divisions 

Nauru is divided into fourteen administrative districts.

References

Other websites 

 Nauru, Permanent Mission to the United Nations
 Asian Development Bank Country Economic Report, Nauru, November 2007
 Our Airline  - the former Air Nauru
 Discover Nauru The Official Nauru Tourism Website
 CenPac - The ISP of the Republic of Nauru
 Radio program "This American Life" featured a 30-minute story on Nauru
 
 High resolution aerial views of Nauru on Google Maps
 Nauru country information on globalEDGE 

Commonwealth member states