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The Republic of Nauru joined as full members of the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission in 1998.

Nauru is an isolated, uplifted limestone island located 41 km south of the equator at 0º 32' S. latitude and 166º 56' E. longitude. It has a total land area of 21 square kilometres [km²] and an Economic Exclusive Zone [EEZ] of 320 000 km². The raised coral limestone island [formerly an atoll] is underlain by a volcanic seamount that rises 4300 m from the floor of the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by a fringing coral reef between 130 – 300 metres wide. Fossil pollen studies and dating techniques indicate that the limestone is about 5 million years whereas the volcanic seamount may be 35 million years in age (National Environment Management Strategy and Action Plan, 1996).

“Gravity and magnetic surveys indicate that about 500m of dolomitised limestone cap the seamount. “The limestone has been drilled to a depth of 55m below sea level and is intensely karstified (the formation of many cavities, sinkholes and cave systems due to the breakdown of limestone in solution) to that depth, with phosphate filling the cavities. The tricalcic phosphate capping of Nauru is several metres thick and overlies an intensely dissected limestone base with limestone pinnacles up to approximately 20m high. The phosphate deposits also occupy the space between the pinnacles and infill caves and joints in the limestone (National Environment Management Strategy and Action Plan, 1996)�.

Nauru is located in the dry belt of the equatorial oceanic zone, with diurnal temperatures ranging from 26º C to 35º C, and nocturnal temperatures between 22º C and 28º C. Annual rainfall is extremely variable, averaging 2098mm per year between 1894 and 2001 with a range of 278mm in 1950 to 4588 mm in 1930 as illustrated below.

Nauru has been richly endowed with mineral deposits of phosphate, the mining of which has made it one of the wealthiest small island nations in the world. Phosphate has been exported from the country since 1907 but with an interruption during the War (1942-1947). In 1969 the Nauru Phosphate Corporation was established and took over. Previously, mining was undertaken by a British company followed by a British/Australian/New Zealand consortium, the British Phosphate Commission. Nauruan phosphate is of the highest grade in the world and continues to be a major foreign-exchange earner. However, deposits are expected to be depleted in the near future.

Nauru has no surface freshwater resources apart from the Buada Lagoon. Most of Nauru’s fresh water comes from a desalination plant installed in 1994, which produces about 1150 tonnes of water per day. The Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC) is responsible for the water supply (pumped/imported and through desalination) for distribution by water tankers to meet the domestic, hotel and commercial needs.

Limited use is made of the extensively available roof rainwater catchments. This is because the water is often contaminated with phosphate dust from the mining operation settling on the roofs. Maintenance of these storage systems is also very poor.

The only significant permanent freshwater resource is the groundwater lens. However, the pollution of this groundwater resource from leachates and human waste is one of the major problems in Nauru.