 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
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Background: |
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from
Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began
exploration in the 17th century. No formal claims were made until
1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great
Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th
centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia
in 1901. The new country was able to take advantage of its natural
resources in order to rapidly develop its agricultural and
manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the
British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include
pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management
and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier
Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth
headed by the British monarch to a republic, was defeated in 1999.
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Location: |
Oceania,
continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
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Geographic coordinates: |
27 00 S, 133
00 E |
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Map references: |
Oceania
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Area: |
total:
7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water:
68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and
Macquarie Island |
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Area - comparative: |
slightly
smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
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Land boundaries: |
0 km |
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Coastline: |
25,760 km
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental
shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
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Climate: |
generally
arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
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Terrain: |
mostly low
plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest
point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount
Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
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Natural resources: |
bauxite,
coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel,
tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum |
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Land use: |
arable
land: 6.55% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated
grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other:
93.41% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
24,000 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards: |
cyclones
along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires |
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Environment - current issues: |
soil erosion
from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor
farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor
quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes
threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant
species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest
coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its
popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources
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Environment - international agreements: |
party
to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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Geography - note: |
world's
smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population
concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular,
tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs
along the west coast in the summer Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Population: |
19,913,144
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14
years: 20.1% (male 2,044,449; female 1,948,574)
15-64
years: 67.2% (male 6,747,687; female 6,623,995)
65 years
and over: 12.8% (male 1,121,522; female 1,426,917) (2004 est.)
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Median age: |
total: 36.3 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 37.1 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.9% (2004
est.) |
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Birth rate: |
12.4
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate: |
7.38
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
3.98
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65
years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total:
4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.16 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 80.26 years
male: 77.4 years
female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
1.76 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.1% (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
14,000 (2003
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
less than 200
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun:
Australian(s)
adjective: Australian |
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Ethnic groups: |
Caucasian
92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% |
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Religions: |
Anglican
26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%,
other 12.6% |
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Languages: |
English,
native languages |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
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Government type: |
democratic,
federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
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Capital: |
Canberra
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Administrative divisions: |
6 states and
2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales,
Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania,
Victoria, Western Australia |
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Dependent areas: |
Ashmore and
Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral
Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
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Independence: |
1 January
1901 (federation of UK colonies) |
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National holiday: |
Australia
Day, 26 January (1788) |
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Constitution: |
9 July 1900,
effective 1 January 1901 |
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Legal system: |
based on
English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of
age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch: |
chief of
state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY
(since 11 August 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister
John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister
John ANDERSON (since 20 July 1999)
cabinet: Parliament
nominates and selects, from among its members, a list of candidates
to serve as government ministers; from this list, the governor
general swears in the final selections for the Cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor
general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as
prime minister by the governor general
note: government
coalition - Liberal Party and National Party |
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Legislative branch: |
bicameral
Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each
of the six states and two from each of the two mainland territories;
one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to
serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (150 seats -
this is up from 148 seats in 2001 election; members elected by
popular vote on the basis of preferential representation to serve
three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to
be held not later than 16 April 2005); House of Representatives -
last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held not later than 16 April
2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 34,
Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 7, Green Party 2,
One Nation Party 1, Country Liberal Party 1, independent 3; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Liberal Party-National Party coalition 81, Australian Labor Party
64, Green Party 1, Country Liberal Party 1, independent and other 3
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Judicial branch: |
High Court
(the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the
governor general) |
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Political parties and leaders: |
Australian
Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Mark LATHAM];
Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Country Liberal Party
[Paul BUNKER]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John
Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party
[Len HARRIS] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Australian
Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement
[leader NA] |
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International organization participation: |
ANZUS, APEC,
ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP,
EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY
chancery: 1601
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
[1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER
embassy:
Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone:
[61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney |
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Flag description: |
blue with
the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large
seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the
Commonwealth Star, representing the federation of the colonies of
Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six
original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and
external territories; the remaining half is a representation of the
Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed
star and four larger, seven-pointed stars Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Economy - overview: |
Australia
has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita
GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Rising
output in the domestic economy has been offsetting the global slump,
and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Australia's
emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the economy's
strength. The impact of drought, weak foreign demand, and strong
import demand pushed the trade deficit up to $14 billion in 2003
from $5 billion in 2002. |
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GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $571.4 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
3% (2003
est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $29,000 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 26.3%
services: 70.2% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
24.8% of GDP
(2003) |
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Population below poverty line: |
NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest
10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini
index: |
35.2 (1994)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.8% (2003
est.) |
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Labor force: |
10.19 million
(37256) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
5%, industry 22%, services 73% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
6% (2003)
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Budget: |
revenues: $185 billion
expenditures: $181
billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
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Public debt: |
18.2% of GDP
(2003) |
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Agriculture - products: |
wheat,
barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry |
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Industries: |
mining,
industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals,
steel |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
-0.1% (2003
est.) |
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Electricity - production: |
198.2 billion
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
184.4 billion
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production: |
731,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
796,500
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports: |
523,400
bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports: |
530,800
bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves: |
3.664 billion
bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production: |
33.08 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption: |
23.33 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports: |
9.744 billion
cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves: |
2.407
trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance: |
$-30.14
billion (2003) |
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Exports: |
$68.67
billion (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities: |
coal, gold,
meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport
equipment |
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Exports - partners: |
Japan 18.1%,
US 8.7%, China 8.4%, South Korea 7.4%, New Zealand 7.4%, UK 6.7%
(2003 est.) |
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Imports: |
$82.91
billion (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities: |
machinery
and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products |
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Imports - partners: |
US 16%,
Japan 12.5%, China 11%, Germany 6.1%, UK 4.2% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: |
$33.26
billion (2003) |
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Debt - external: |
$233.5
billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor: |
ODA, $894
million (FY99/00) |
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Currency: |
Australian
dollar (AUD) |
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Currency code: |
AUD |
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Exchange rates: |
Australian
dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001),
1.7248 (2000), 1.55 (1999) |
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Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30
June Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Railways: |
total:
44,015 km (5,290 km electrified)
broad gauge: 1,957 km
1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 27,095 km 1.435-m gauge
(2,828 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 14,957 km 1.067-m
gauge (2,462 km electrified)
dual gauge: 213 km dual
gauge (2003) |
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Highways: |
total:
811,603 km
paved: 314,090 km (including 18,619 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 497,513 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways: |
2,000 km
(mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river
systems) (2004) |
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Pipelines: |
condensate
36 km; condensate/gas 243 km; gas 27,321 km; liquid petroleum gas
240 km; oil 4,779 km; oil/gas/water 104 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Adelaide,
Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong,
Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney,
Townsville |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,531,461
GRT/1,999,409 DWT
by type: bulk 20, cargo 5, chemical
tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 3, liquefied gas 4,
passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6
foreign-owned: United Kingdom 2, United States 12
registered in other countries: 60 (2003 est.) |
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Airports: |
444 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 297
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to
3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 129
914 to 1,523
m: 133
under 914 m: 13 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 147
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to
1,523 m: 116
under 914 m: 14 (2003 est.)
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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