World Countries Info > Australia > Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to
take advantage of its natural resources 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.
Geography of Australia
|
Location:
|
Oceania, continent between
the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
27 00 S, 133 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 7,686,850 sq
km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
land: 7,617,930 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than the
US contiguous 48 states |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
25,760 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental
margin |
|
Climate:
|
generally arid to semiarid;
temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly low plateau with
deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Lake
Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
bauxite, coal, iron ore,
copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands,
lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 6.88%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 93.09% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
24,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
cyclones along the coast;
severe droughts; forest fires |
|
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 |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol |
|
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
|
Population of Australia
|
Population:
|
19,913,144 (July 2004 est.) |
|
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.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 36.3 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 37.1 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.9% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
12.4 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
7.38 deaths/1,000 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 80.26 years
male: 77.4 years
female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.1% (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
12,000 (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
less than 100 (2001 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and
other 1% |
|
Religions:
|
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other
Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6% |
|
Languages:
|
English, native languages |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.)
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Commonwealth
of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
|
Government type:
|
democratic, federal-state system
recognizing the British monarch as sovereign |
|
Capital:
|
Canberra |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia,
Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
|
Dependent areas:
|
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas
Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island |
|
Independence:
|
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) |
|
National holiday:
|
Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
|
Constitution:
|
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on English common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: Queen of Australia
ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.)
Michael JEFFREY (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 |
|
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 by NA February
2005); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by NA
February 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 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
High Court (the chief justice and six other
justices are appointed by the governor general) |
|
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] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
Australian Monarchist League [leader NA];
Australian Republican Movement |
Economy
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.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $570.3 billion
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
2.8% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $28,900 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 3%
industry: 25%
services: 72% (2003 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2001 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
35.2 (1994) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
2.7% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
9.2 million (37256) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5%
(1997 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
6.1% (2003) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $86.8 billion
expenditures: $84.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
|
Industries:
|
mining, industrial and transportation
equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, tourism |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
1.1% (2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
198.2 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 8.3%
other: 0.9% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
184.4 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
731,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
523,400 bbl/day (2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
530,800 bbl/day (2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle,
sheep, poultry |
|
Exports:
|
$68.67 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore,
wheat, machinery and transport equipment |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Japan 18.5%, US 9.6%, South Korea 8.3%,
China 6.9%, New Zealand 6.5%, UK 4.7%, Singapore 4.1%, Taiwan 4% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$82.91 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and transport equipment,
computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and
petroleum products |
|
Imports - partners:
|
US 18.3%, Japan 12.3%, China 10.1%, Germany
5.7%, UK 4.6% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$193 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Economic aid - donor:
|
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) |
|
Currency:
|
Australian dollar (AUD) |
|
Currency code:
|
AUD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.54
(2003), 1.84 (2002), 1.93 (2001), 1.72 (2000), 1.55 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 July - 30 June
|
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Some Copyrights Reserved © 2006 Free Global Information
|
