* βeta
Australia
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 territorial 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 took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
Location :
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Geographic Coordinates Center :
27 00 S, 133 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 112.91 |
| North | -10.06 |
| East | 153.64 |
| South | -43.64 |
Map references :
Oceania
Area :
| total | 7 741 220 | square km |
| land | 7 682 300 | square km |
| water | 58 920 | square km |
Coastline :
25760.00 km
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 | 15 | metres |
| highest point | 2 229 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | coal |
| copper | diamonds |
| gold | iron ore |
| lead | mineral sands |
| natural gas | nickel |
| petroleum | silver |
| tin | tungsten |
| uranium | zinc |
Land use :
| arable land | 6.15 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.04 | % |
| other | 93.81 | % |
Irrigated land :
25 450 square km
Total renewable water resources :
398 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| cyclones | droughts |
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
international agreements :
| Antarctic Seals | Antarctic Treaty |
| Antarctic-Environmental Protocol | Antarctic-Marine Living Resources |
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | 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 |
Population :
21 262 641
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.20 | % |
| Birth rate | 12.47 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 1.78 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 6.74 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 6.23 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 18.60 | % |
| 15-64 years | 67.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 13.50 | % |
Median age :
| total | 37.30 | years |
| male | 36.60 | years |
| female | 38.10 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.06 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.84 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 4.75 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 81.63 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 79.25 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 84.14 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 18 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 100 |
Religions :
| Catholic | 25.80 | % |
| Anglican | 18.70 | % |
| Uniting Church | 5.70 | % |
| Presbyterian and Reformed | 3.00 | % |
| Eastern Orthodox | 2.70 | % |
| other Christian | 7.90 | % |
| Buddhist | 2.10 | % |
| Muslim | 1.70 | % |
| other | 2.40 | % |
| unspecified | 11.30 | % |
| none | 18.70 | % |
Languages :
| English | 78.50 | % |
| Chinese | 2.50 | % |
| Italian | 1.60 | % |
| Greek | 1.30 | % |
| Arabic | 1.20 | % |
| Vietnamese | 1.00 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 99.00 | % |
| male | 99.00 | % |
| female | 99.00 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Commonwealth of Australia |
| conventional short form | Australia |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | AU |
| ISO Numeric | 36 |
| ISO3 | AUS |
| FIPS | AS |
| ccTLD | au |
| English | Australia |
Administrative divisions :
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Capital :
| name | Canberra |
| geographic coordinates | 35 17 S, 149 13 E |
| time difference | 10.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| ADB | ANZUS |
| APEC | ARF |
| ASEAN (dialogue partner) | Australia Group |
| BIS | C |
| CP | EAS |
| EBRD | FAO |
| FATF | G-20 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICC |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IEA |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| IHO | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NEA | NSG |
| OECD | OPCW |
| PCA | PIF |
| Paris Club | SAARC (observer) |
| SPC | Sparteca |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNHCR |
| UNMIS | UNMIT |
| UNRWA | UNTSO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
| ZC |
Independence :
1901-01-01
National holiday :
| Australia Day | 1788-01-26 |
| ANZAC Day | 1915-04-25 |
Executive branch :
| Prime Minister Kevin RUDD | Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 819 000 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 920 000 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 0.80 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 38 500 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 3.80 | % |
| industry | 24.90 | % |
| services | 71.30 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 3.60 | % |
| industry | 21.10 | % |
| services | 75.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 11 440 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 5.70 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 30.50 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.90 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 27.30 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 33 310 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 44 980 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 920 000 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 209 400 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 282 300 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 1 298 000 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.40 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 18.60 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 25.40 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 323 600 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 358 400 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | cattle |
| fruits | poultry |
| sheep | sugarcane |
| wheat |
Industries :
| chemicals | food processing |
| industrial and transportation equipment | mining |
| steel |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 239 900 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 222 000 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 586 400 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 953 700 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 332 400 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 687 200 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 1 500 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 45 220 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 34 200 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Exports | 19 480 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 5 377 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 849 500 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
161 500 000 000 $
Partners :
| Japan (jp) | 22.20 | % |
| China (cn) | 14.60 | % |
| South Korea | 8.20 | % |
| India (in) | 6.10 | % |
| United States (us) | 5.50 | % |
| NZ | 4.30 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| alumina | coal |
| gold | iron ore |
| machinery and transportation equipment | meat |
| wheat | wool |
Value :
160 900 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 15.40 | % |
| United States (us) | 12.10 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 9.10 | % |
| Singapore (sg) | 7.00 | % |
| Germany (de) | 5.10 | % |
| Thailand (th) | 4.50 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 4.40 | % |
| Malaysia (my) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| computers and office machines | crude oil and petroleum products |
| machinery and transportation equipment | telecommunication equipment and parts |
Currency-code :
AUD
Currency-name :
Australian dollar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 9 370 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 22 120 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 345 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 104 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | au | |
| Internet Hosts | 11 756 000 | |
| Internet Users | 15 170 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 325 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 27 105 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 3 258 | km |
| Pipelines - liquid petroleum gas | 240 | km |
| Roadways - total | 812 972 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 341 448 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 471 524 | km |
| Railways | 37 855 | km |
| Waterways | 2 000 | km |
Flag
| Photos provided by
are under the copyright of their owners
|