Nauru: Geography#
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands |
---|---|
Geographic Coordinates | 0 32 S, 166 55 E -0.53333336,166.91667 |
Area | total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km [Verified in 8 databases] |
Land boundaries | 0 km |
Coastline | 30 km |
Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed elevation along plateau rim 61 m |
Highest Mountains | |
Terrain | sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center |
Natural Hazards | periodic droughts |
Natural Resource | phosphates, fish |
Land Use | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 20% other: 80% (2011) |
Climate | tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February) |
Irrigated Land | NA |
Renewable Water Resources | NA |
Environment_CurrentIssues | limited natural freshwater 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Yaren; ; ; ; According to Geonames: Arijejen; Yaren; Baiti; Anabar; Uaboe Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
Geography-note | world's smallest island country; situated just 53 km south of the Equator; 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 |