Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)
Languages:
Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English
widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 9 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Nauru
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
local long form: Republic of Nauru
local short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
Government type:
republic
Capital:
no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada,
Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence:
31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution:
29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968
Legal system:
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December
2007); note - President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence
vote in parliament on 19 December 2007
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of parliament
elections: president elected by parliament for a three-year term;
election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18;
note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a
parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru
First (Naoero Amo) Party; note - loose multiparty system
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074
FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079
consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Nauru
Flag description:
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
Economy ::Nauru
Economy - overview:
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. Reserves of
phosphates may only last until 2010 at current mining rates. 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.
Nauru lost further revenue in 2008 with the closure of Australia's
refugee processing center, making it almost totally dependent on
food imports and foreign aid. Housing, hospitals, and other capital
plant is deteriorating. The cost to Australia of keeping the
government and economy afloat continues to climb. Few comprehensive
statistics on the Nauru economy exist with estimates of Nauru's GDP
varying widely.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$60 million (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force - by occupation:
note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration,
education, and transportation (1992)
Unemployment rate:
90% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $13.5 million
expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Agriculture - products:
coconuts
Industries:
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
31 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - consumption:
28.83 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
Oil - imports:
1,026 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 141
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Exports:
$64,000 (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 221
Exports - commodities:
phosphates
Imports:
$20 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 215
Imports - commodities:
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Debt - external:
$33.3 million
country comparison to the world: 195
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137
(2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Nauru
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 225
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,500 (2002)
country comparison to the world: 217
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone
communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Internet country code:
.nr
Internet hosts:
47 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 209
Transportation ::Nauru
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 228
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 24 km
country comparison to the world: 217
paved: 24 km (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Nauru
Military ::Nauru
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,592
females age 16-49: 2,966 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 179
female: 174 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement,
defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational Issues ::Nauru
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Navassa Island (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Navassa Island
Background:
This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano.
Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in
1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island
transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior.
A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique
preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a
National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have
continued.
Geography ::Navassa Island
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon
Peninsula of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5.4 sq km
country comparison to the world: 244
land: 5.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
8 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
marine, tropical
Terrain:
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by
vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m
Natural resources:
guano
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with
enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees,
scattered cactus
People ::Navassa Island
Population:
uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government ::Navassa Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Dependency status:
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the
Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the
Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico;
in September 1996 the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance
of Navassa Island Light a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern
side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced
against the island
Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of the US)
Flag description:
the flag of the US is used
Economy ::Navassa Island
Economy - overview:
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge
waters.
Transportation ::Navassa Island
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Navassa Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues ::Navassa Island
Disputes - international:
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
page last updated on July 2, 2009
======================================================================
@Nepal (South Asia)
Introduction ::Nepal
Background:
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule
by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of
government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy
within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led
by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing ten-year civil
war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the
dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute
power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were
followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists
and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace
accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a
nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent
Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished
the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The
Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July.
The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent
Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008.
Geography ::Nepal
Location:
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 147,181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 93
land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical
summers and mild winters in south
Terrain:
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of
lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated land:
11,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
210.2 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine
depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer
monsoons
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives);
contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural
runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular
emissions
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains
eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and
Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the
borders with China and India respectively
People ::Nepal
Population:
28,563,377 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.281% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Birth rate:
23.18 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
Death rate:
6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
Net migration rate:
-3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Urbanization:
urban population: 17% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 54
male: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.46 years
country comparison to the world: 165
male: 64.3 years
female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
70,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue
fever (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups:
Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang
5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%,
unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)
Religions:
Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9%
(2001 census)
note: only official Hindu state in the world
Languages:
Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana)
5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%,
unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.6%
male: 62.7%
female: 34.9% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 8 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2003)
country comparison to the world: 133
Government ::Nepal
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal
local short form: Nepal
Government type:
federal democratic republic
Capital:
name: Kathmandu
geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri,
Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi,
Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence:
1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 May; Democracy Day, 24 April
Constitution:
15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a
Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new
constitution by May 2010
Legal system:
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice
President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL (as of 25 May
2009); Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR
cabinet: cabinet formed in August 2008 by a majority coalition made
up of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Communist Party of
Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist, Madhesi People's Rights Forum, and
several smaller parties
elections: president elected by Parliament; term extends until the
new constitution is promulgated; election last held 21 July 2008;
date of next election NA
election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the
Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008;
Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282
Legislative branch:
unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided by
direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26
appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers))
elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPN-M 38%, NC 19%,
CPN-UML 19%,Madhesi People's Right Forum 9%, Terai-Madhes Democratic
Party and Sadbhavana Party 5%, other 10%; seats by party - CPN-M
220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi People's Rights Forum 52,
Terai-Madhes Democratic Party 20, Sadbhawana Party 9, other smaller
parties 61; note - 26 seats filled by the new Cabinet
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (the president appoints the chief
justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the
Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges on
the recommendation of the Judicial Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist
Party of Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified) [Raj Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United)
[Ganesh SHAH]; Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or
CPN/UML [Jhalanath KHANAL]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman
PASHWAN]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum [Upendra YADAV]; National
Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati Shumsher RANA] (also called
Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP); Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal
[Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal
Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi
Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP
[Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad
KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya
Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya Janamukti Party [Malwar
Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur
THAPA]; Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana
Party (Mahato) [Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata
Party Nepal [Prem Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch
[Kamal CHHARAHANG]; Terai-Madhes Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR];
United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also
known as PRACHANDA, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border
with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for
individual ethnic groups
International organization participation:
ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC,
SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kali POKHREL
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL
embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200
FAX: [977] (1) 400-7272
Flag description:
red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping
right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized
moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
Economy ::Nepal
Economy - overview: