Traveling Luck for Nauru. Nauru, Oceania

Nauru is located in Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands.

Land in Nauru is sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center.

Nauruan land covers an area of 21 square kilometers which is about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Nauruan flag Nauruan national flag (Flag of Nauru)

As for the Nauruan climate; tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February).

Nauruan(s) speak Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes.

Nauruan Map Nauruan map

Regions of Nauru

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.

Country Profile for Nauru

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. 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. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.

Nauruan natural resources include phosphates, fish

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

Nauruan religion is Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic).

Natural hazards in Nauru include periodic droughts.

Travel Advice for Nauru

Nauru

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and Entry Requirements section.  The overall level of the advice has not changed.

SUMMARY

  • There is no consular representation in Nauru.  Consular matters are covered by the British High Commission in Fiji.  Please see the General section of this travel advice for more details.

  • Only a handful of British nationals visit Nauru each year.  Most visits are trouble-free.  We are not aware of any British nationals who have required consular assistance in Nauru in the past year.

  • The threat from terrorism in Nauru is low.  But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets including places frequented by foreigners.

  • The tropical cyclones season in Nauru normally runs from November to April.  Please Hurricanes for more information.

  • We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.  Please see: Travel Insurance.


SAFETY AND SECURITY

NATURAL DISASTERS

The tropical cyclone season in Nauru normally runs from November to April.  You should monitor local and international weather updates from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).  You can also access http://www.nhc.noaa.gov for updates.  Please also see Hurricanes for more detailed information about what to do if you are caught up in a tropical cyclone.


GENERAL

If things go wrong when overseas, please see: What We Can Do To Help
There is no consular representation in Nauru.  Consular matters are covered by the British High Commission in Suva, Fiji (see contact details below).
If you require a new passport, application forms can be downloaded from the Internet.  To avoid unnecessary delays, you are advised to contact the British High Commission in Suva (Fiji) before submitting your completed passport application form to the British High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand (please see the Travel Advice: New Zealand).   Where possible, you are advised to apply at least two months before your passport is due to expire.  You will be allowed to retain your old passport whilst waiting for the replacement to be issued and returned.
In the event of a lost or stolen passport, the Nauru authorities can issue emergency travel documents, which will allow you o travel as far as Australia.  Once in Australia, the British High Commission in Canberra will be able to issue a replacement passport within two to three weeks.  If you need to travel more urgently, the British Consular Agency in Brisbane or the British Consulate-General in Sydney will be able to issue a limited validity passport to enable you to continue your journey.  There will be an additional fee for any passport service performed outside normal consular office opening hours.  We strongly advise you to keep a photocopy of the relevant pages of your passport to avoid any complications.


OTHER

Nauru Country Profile