Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament: election last held 18 November 1995 (next to be held NA
November 1998); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (18 total)
independents 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: none
International organization participation: AsDB, C (special),
ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, Sparteca,
SPC, SPF, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US: Nauru does not have an embassy in
the US
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an embassy in
Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag: 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 ———-
Economic overview: Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World. Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition. However, dividends from the trusts have declined sharply since 1990 and the government has been borrowing from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $100 million (1993 est.)