Trinidad and Tobago (2001) | Nauru (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 8 counties, 3 municipalities*, and 1 ward**; Arima*, Caroni, Mayaro, Nariva, Port-of-Spain*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick, San Fernando*, Tobago**, Victoria | 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
24.1% (male 143,730; female 138,160) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 415,898; female 393,551) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 34,785; female 43,558) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 2,516; female 2,372)
15-64 years: 60% (male 3,782; female 3,898) 65 years and over: 1.9% (male 128; female 113) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry | coconuts |
Airports | 6 (2000 est.) | 1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
- |
Area | total:
5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Delaware | about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. | Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Nauru achieved independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999. Nauru is the world's smallest independent republic. |
Birth rate | 13.73 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 25.61 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$1.54 billion expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998) |
revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY95/96) |
Capital | Port-of-Spain | no official capital; government offices in Yaren District |
Climate | tropical; rainy season (June to December) | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
Coastline | 362 km | 30 km |
Constitution | 1 August 1976 | 29 January 1968 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago |
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island |
Currency | Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) | Australian dollar (AUD) |
Death rate | 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.8 billion (2000 est.) | $33.3 million (2002) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward E. SHUMAKER, III (until April, 2001) embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376, 6176 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 |
the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone: (212) 937-0074
consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $121.4 million (1995) | $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.) (2000 est.) |
Economy - overview | Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Successful economic reforms were implemented in 1995, and foreign investment and trade are flourishing. Persistently high unemployment remains one of the chief challenges of the government. The petrochemical sector has spurred growth in other related sectors, reinforcing the government's commitment to economic diversification. Tourism is growing, especially in the pleasure boat sector. New investment and construction also will continue to drive the economy. | Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are now depleted. 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. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income have been 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 called for a freeze on wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. In 2004 the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat has substantially mounted. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.557 billion kWh (1999) | 27.9 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 4.9 billion kWh (1999) | 30 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
99.59% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.41% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m |
Environment - current issues | water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion | limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 39.5%, East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2% | Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8% |
Exchange rates | Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2688 (January 2001), 6.2998 (2000), 6.2989 (1999), 6.2983 (1998), 6.2517 (1997), 6.0051 (1996) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.2641 (2002) 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Arthur Napoleon Raymond ROBINSON (since 19 March 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Basdeo PANDAY (since 9 November 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term; election last held 11 December 2000 (next to be held by NA 2005); prime minister appointed from among the members of Parliament; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives is usually appointed prime minister election results: Arthur Napoleon Raymond ROBINSON elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 69% |
chief of state: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 26 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government 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 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president |
Exports | $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers | phosphates |
Exports - partners | US 39.3%, Caricom countries 26.1%, Latin America 9.5%, EU 5.7% (1999) | Japan 42.3%, India 38.5%, South Korea 7.7% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side | 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 |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $11.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $60 million (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
2% industry: 44% services: 54% (1998 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 61 00 W | 0 32 S, 166 55 E |
Geography - note | - | 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; only 53 km south of Equator |
Highways | total:
8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
total: 30 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 6 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis | offshore banking recently stopped, remains on Financial Action Task Force Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories List for continued failure to address deficiencies in money-laundering control regime |
Imports | $3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals | food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery |
Imports - partners | US 39.8%, Venezuela 11.9%, EU 11%, Caricom 4.8% (1999) | Australia 67.9%, Indonesia 10.7%, US 7.1% (2003) |
Independence | 31 August 1962 (from UK) | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.8% (2000) | NA |
Industries | petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles | phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products |
Infant mortality rate | 24.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 10.14 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.2% (2000 est.) | -3.6% (1993) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 17 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 220 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals; The Majistracy (hears minor civil cases and summary criminal cases) | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 558,700 (1998) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | construction and utilities 12.4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 9.5%, services 64.1% (1997 est.) | employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
15% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 46% other: 28% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese | Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes |
Legal system | based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 11 December 2000 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - UNC 58.1%, PNM 40.8%, NAR 1.1%; seats by party - UNC 19, PNM 16, NAR 1 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly, with 15 members serving four-year terms |
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not later than May 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.27 years male: 65.74 years female: 70.92 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 62.33 years
male: 58.78 years female: 66.06 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 98.8% female: 97% (1995 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,439 GRT/4,040 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
none |
Military - note | - | Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service | no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $83 million (FY94) | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | NA |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
346,043 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 3,275 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
247,297 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,810 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 31 August (1962) | Independence Day, 31 January (1968) |
Nationality | noun:
Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan |
Natural hazards | outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms | periodic droughts |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, asphalt | phosphates, fish |
Net migration rate | -9.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 1,032 km; petroleum products 19 km; natural gas 904 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Hochay CHARLES]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY] | loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [leader NA]; Naoero Amo (Nauru First) Party [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Jamaat Al Musilmeen [Abu BAKR] | NA |
Population | 1,169,682 (July 2001 est.) | 12,809 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 21% (1992 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | -0.51% (2001 est.) | 1.87% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora | Nauru |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 680,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; railway service was discontinued in 1968 | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7% | Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 20 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment:
excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 243,000 (1997) | 1,900 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 17,411 (1997) | 1,500 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly plains with some hills and low mountains | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
Total fertility rate | 1.81 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.29 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 12.8% (2000) | 0% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |