World Facts Index > Australia > Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
 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.
Geography of Australia
|
Location:
|
Oceania, continent between
the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
|
Coordinates:
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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:
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25,760 km |
|
Maritime claims:
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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:
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generally arid to semiarid;
temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
|
Terrain:
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mostly low plateau with
deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
|
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake
Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
|
Natural resources:
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bauxite, coal, iron ore,
copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands,
lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum |
|
Natural hazards:
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cyclones along the coast;
severe droughts; forest fires |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
|
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:
|
21,007,310 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 2,022,151/female
1,919,002)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 7,233,555/female 7,038,722)
65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,266,166/female 1,527,714) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 37.1 years
male: 36.4 years
female: 37.9 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
0.9% (2004 est.), .85% (2006 est.), 1.221% (2008
est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
12.4 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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7.38 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality:
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total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 81.53 years
male: 79.16 years
female: 84.02 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.78 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
|
noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and
other 1% |
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Religions:
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Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other
Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6% |
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Languages:
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English, native languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
|
Government
|
Country name:
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conventional long form: Commonwealth
of Australia |
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Government type:
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democratic, federal-state system
recognizing the British monarch as sovereign |
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Capital:
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Canberra |
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Administrative divisions:
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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:
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Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas
Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island |
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Independence:
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1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) |
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National holiday:
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Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
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Constitution:
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9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 |
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II
(since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Quentin BRYCE (since 5
September 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (since 3 December 2007); Deputy
Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates
who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government
ministers
elections: 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 |
|
Legislative branch:
|
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76
seats - 12 from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories;
one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year
terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of
Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms
of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives) |
|
Judicial branch:
|
High Court (the chief justice and six other
justices are appointed by the governor general) |
Economy
Australia has an enviable, strong economy with a per capita GDP on par with
the four dominant West European economies. Robust business and consumer
confidence and high export prices for raw materials and agricultural products
are fueling the economy, particularly in mining states. Australia's emphasis on
reforms, low inflation, a housing market boom, and growing ties with China have
been key factors behind the economy's 16 solid years of expansion. Drought,
robust import demand, and a strong currency have pushed the trade deficit up in
recent years, while infrastructure bottlenecks and a tight labor market are
constraining growth in export volumes and stoking inflation. Australia's budget
has been in surplus since 2002 due to strong revenue growth.
|
GDP:
|
$640.1 billion (2005 est.), $773 billion (2007
est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
|
2.8% (2003 est.), 2.5% (2005 est.), 4.3% (2007
est.) |
|
GDP per capita:
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$37,300 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 3%
industry: 26.4%
services: 70.6% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
35.2 (1994) |
|
Inflation rate:
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2.7% (2003 est.), 2.3% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force:
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10.42 million (2005 est.), 10.95 million (2007
est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 21.2%
services: 75.2% (2004 est.) |
|
Unemployment:
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6.1% (2003), 5.1% (2005 est.), 4.4% (2007 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $321.9 billion
expenditures: $315.8 billion (2007 est.) |
|
Industries:
|
mining, industrial and transportation
equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, tourism |
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Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 90.8%
hydro: 8.3%
other: 0.9% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Agriculture:
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wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle,
sheep, poultry |
|
Exports:
|
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore,
wheat, machinery and transport equipment |
|
Export partners:
|
Japan 19.1%, China 14.7%, South Korea 8%, India
5.9%, US 5.8%, NZ 5.2% (2007) |
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Imports:
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machinery and transport equipment,
computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and
petroleum products |
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Import partners:
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China 14.3%, US 12.9%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore
6.1%, Germany 5.2%, UK 4.4%, Thailand 4% (2007) |
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Currency:
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Australian dollar (AUD) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |