Australia. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Australia | 
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| Introduction | Australia |
| Background: |
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 | Australia |
| Location: |
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
27 00 S, 133 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Oceania |
| 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, Climate Change, 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: Climate Change-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 |
| People | Australia |
| Population: |
19,546,792 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 20.4%
(male 2,046,052; female 1,949,725) 15-64 years: 67% (male 6,610,840; female 6,480,354) 65 years and over: 12.6% (male 1,078,506; female 1,381,315) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.96% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
12.71 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
4.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| 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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
80 years female: 83 years (2002 est.) male: 77.15 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.15% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
14,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
100 (1999 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 | Australia |
| 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
ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter HOLLINGWORTH (since 29 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since 20 July 1999) cabinet: Cabinet Parliament nominates, from among its members, a list of candidates to serve as government ministers; from this list, the governor general makes the final selections for the Cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed 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 November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 8, Green Party 2, One Nation Party 1, Country Labor Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 82, Australian Labor Party 65, 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 [Simon CREAN]; Country Labor Party [leader NA]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA] |
| International
organization participation: |
ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 |
| 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 |
| 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; 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 |
| Economy | Australia |
| 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. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the economy's strength. The stagnant economic conditions in major export partners and the impact of the worst drought in 100 years cast a shadow over prospects for 2003. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $528 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.6% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 3% industry: 26% services: 71% (2001 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25% (1994) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
35 (1994) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.8% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
9.2 million (December 2001 ) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
6.3% (2002) |
| 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 |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.3% (2002 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
202.68 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 90%
hydro: 8% other: 2% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
188.49 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry |
| Exports: |
$66.3 billion (2002 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment |
| Exports
- partners: |
Developing countries 45.6%, Japan 19.7%, ASEAN 13.3%, EU 11.7%, US 9.7% (2001) |
| Imports: |
$68 billion (2002 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products |
| Imports
- partners: |
Developing countries 31.7%, EU 21.6%, US 18.9%, ASEAN 14.8%, Japan 13.0% (2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$176.8 billion (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00 ) |
| Currency: |
Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Currency
code: |
AUD |
| Exchange
rates: |
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Communications | Australia |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
10.05 million (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
8.6 million (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: |
25.5 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
104 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
10.15 million (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.au |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
571 (2002) |
| Internet
users: |
10.63 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Australia |
| Railways: |
total: 33,819 km
(2,540 km electrified) broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 913,000 km
paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways) unpaved: 559,669 km (1996) |
| Waterways: |
8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 55 ships (1,000
GRT or over) totaling 1,469,362 GRT/1,869,262 DWT ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 5, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 2, United Kingdom 2, United States 14 (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
421 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 294 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 126 914 to 1,523 m: 134 under 914 m: 13 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 150 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 116 under 914 m: 14 (2002) |
| Military | Australia |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 5,013,406 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 4,321,387 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 142,686 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$9.3 billion (FY01/02 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2% (FY01/02) |
| Transnational Issues | Australia |
| Disputes
- international: |
Australia-East Timor-Indonesia are working to resolve maritime boundary and sharing of seabed resources in "Timor Gap"; Australia asserts a territorial claim to Antarctica and to its continental shelf |
| Illicit
drugs: |
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
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