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Concept
Geography of Nauru
Summary
Nauru is a tiny phosphate rock island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean south of the Marshall Islands in Oceania. It is only south of the Equator at coordinates . 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.
Its land area is , and it has a . Maritime claims are an Exclusive Economic Zone of with 200-nautical-miles (370 km), and a 12-nautical-mile (22 km) territorial sea.
The climate is tropical with a monsoon rainy season from November to February.
A sandy beach rises to the fertile ring around raised coral reefs. The raised phosphate plateau ('Topside') takes up the central portion of the island. The highest point is 213 ft (65 m) above sea level, along the plateau rim.
Nauru's only economically significant natural resources are phosphates, formed from guano deposits by seabirds, and fisheries, particularly for tuna.
Due to being surrounded by corals and sandy beaches, the island houses no natural harbours, nor any rivers or substantial lakes.
Nauru has a unique navigational system, which is only capable of being used on the island.
Geology of Nauru
Nauru is a raised coral atoll positioned in the Nauru Basin of the Pacific Ocean, on a part of the Pacific Plate that formed at a mid-oceanic ridge at 132 Ma. From mid-Eocene (35mya) to Oligocene times, a submarine volcano built up over a hotspot and formed a seamount composed of basalt. The seamount is over 4300 metres high. This hotspot was simultaneous with a major Pacific Plate reorganisation. The volcano was eroded to sea level and a coral atoll grew on top to a thickness of about 500 metres. Coral near the surface has been dated from 5 Mya to 0.3 Mya. The original limestone has been dolomitised by magnesium from seawater. The coral was raised above sea level about 30 metres and is now a dolomite limestone outcrop which was eroded in classic karst style into pinnacles up to 20 metres high.
Official source
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