Nauru (pronounced NAH-oo-roo) is an island in the Pacific just south of the equator, about 2,500 mi (4,023 km) southwest of Honolulu. Phosphate mining has virtually destroyed the tiny nation's ecology, turning its tropical vegetation into a barren, rocky wasteland.
Population
13,287 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 24.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 9.8/1000; life expectancy: 63.1; density per sq mi: 1,639
Land Area
8.11 sq mi (21 sq km)
Monetary unit
Australian dollar Language
Nauruan (official), English
Ethnicity Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
Religion Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Transportation Railways: total: 5 km; note: used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast (2001). Highways: total: 30 km; paved: 24 km; unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: Nauru. Airports: 1 (2002).
