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  Introduction
  Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
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  Transportation
  Military
  Transnational Issues

In general, information available as of 1 January 2003
was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2003.


This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003


Map of Australia

Legend: Definition Definition Field Listing Field Listing Rank Order Rank Order
   Introduction    Australia
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Oceania
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
25,760 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 6.88%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 93.09% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
24,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
19,731,984 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,045,783; female 1,949,864)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 6,680,531; female 6,553,141)
65 years and over: 12.7% (male 1,099,275; female 1,403,390) (2003 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 36 years
male: 35.2 years
female: 36.8 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.93% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12.55 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.31 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 4.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.23 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 80.13 years
male: 77.27 years
female: 83.13 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.76 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
English, native languages
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.)
   Government    Australia
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Canberra
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas:
Definition Field Listing
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General (Designate) Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFREY (since 22 June 2003); JEFFREY will be sworn in on 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:
Definition Field Listing
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 February 2005); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by February 2005)
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:
Definition Field Listing
High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Australian Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Simon CREAN]; Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Country Labor Party [leader NA]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Rod EVANS]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA]
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, 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, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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
   Economy    Australia
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 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:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $528 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.6% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
35.2 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.8% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.2 million (December 2001)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.3% (2002)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $86.8 billion
expenditures: $84.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.3% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
198.2 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
Definition Field Listing
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 8.3%
other: 0.9% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
184.33 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
731,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
523,400 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
530,800 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.664 billion bbl (January 2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.407 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$66.3 billion (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
developing countries 45.6%, Japan 19.7%, ASEAN 13.3%, EU 11.7%, US 9.7% (2001 est.)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$68 billion (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
developing countries 31.7%, EU 21.6%, US 18.9%, ASEAN 14.8%, Japan 13.0% (2001 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$176.8 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
Definition Field Listing
ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
AUD
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000), 1.55 (1999), 1.5918 (1998)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
1 July - 30 June
   Communications    Australia
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.05 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.6 million (2000)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
104 (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.au
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Definition Field Listing
571 (2002)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.63 million (2002)
   Transportation    Australia
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 41,588 km (4,612 km electrified)
broad gauge: 2,193 km 1.600-m gauge
narrow gauge: 15,456 km 1.067-m gauge
dual gauge: 291 km dual gauge (2002)
standard gauge: 23,648 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 913,000 km
paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways)
unpaved: 559,669 km (1996)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing
8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing
total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,415,810 GRT/1,806,554 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 2, UK 2, US 14 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 20, cargo 6, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6
Airports:
Definition Field Listing
444 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
total: 150
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 116
under 914 m: 14 (2002)
   Military    Australia
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Military manpower - military age:
Definition Field Listing
17 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 5,037,538 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 4,339,011 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 142,377 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$11.39 billion (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.9% (FY02)
   Transnational Issues    Australia
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
maritime delimitation and resource sharing agreements signed with East Timor resolve dispute over "Timor Gap" hydrocarbon reserves; no agreement reached on dividing Timor Sea with Indonesia (see Ashmore and Cartier Islands disputes); Australia asserts a territorial claim to Antarctica and to its continental shelf (see Antarctica)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
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

This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003


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