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Australia

The following is the entry for Australia from the CIA World Fact Book, 1992 edition. A regional compilation of related country entries from the same source has also been prepared.

:Australia Geography

Total area:

7,686,850 km2

Land area:

7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island [see a brief field trip report]

Comparative area:

slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries:

none

Coastline:

25,760 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes:

territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)

Climate:

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

Terrain:

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Natural resources:

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil

Land use:

arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment:

subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification

Note:

world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country

:Australia People

Population:

17,576,354 (July 1992), growth rate 1.4% (1992)

Birth rate:

15 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Net migration rate:

7 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

74 years male, 80 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

1.8 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Australian(s); adjective - Australian

Ethnic divisions:

Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1%

Religions:

Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3%

Languages:

English, native languages

Literacy:

100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

Labor force:

8,630,000 (September 1991); finance and services 33.8%, public and community services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing and industry 16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987)

Organized labor:

40% of labor force (November 1991)

:Australia Government

Long-form name:

Commonwealth of Australia

Type:

federal parliamentary state

Capital:

Canberra

Administrative divisions:

6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Independence:

1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Constitution:

9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

Dependent areas:

Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

Legal system:

based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday:

Australia Day, 26 January

Executive branch:

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch:

High Court

Leaders:

Chief of State:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since 16 February 1989)

Head of Government:

Prime Minister Paul John KEATING (since 20 December 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Brian HOWE (since 4 June 1991)

Political parties and leaders:

government:

Australian Labor Party, Paul John KEATING

opposition:

Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER; Australian Democratic Party, John COULTER

Suffrage:

universal and compulsory at age 18

Elections:

House of Representatives:

last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by NA November 1993); results - Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats and independents 11.1%; seats - (148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1

Senate:

last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by NA July 1993); results - Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats - (76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7, independents 3

Communists:

4,000 members (est.)

:Australia Government

Other political or pressure groups:

Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)

Member of:

AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, COCOM, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, G-8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco

US: Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO AP 96549); telephone [61] (6) 270-5000; FAX [61] (6) 270-5970; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane

Flag:

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

:Australia Economy

Overview:

Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP comparable to levels in industrialized West European countries. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that, as happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe.

GDP:

purchasing power equivalent - $280.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate --0.6% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.3% (September 1991)

Unemployment rate:

10.5% (November 1991)

Budget:

revenues $76.9 billion; expenditures $75.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY91)

Exports:

$41.7 billion (f.o.b., FY91)

commodities:

metals, minerals, coal, wool, cereals, meat, manufacturers

partners:

Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong

Imports:

$37.8 billion (f.o.b., FY91)

commodities:

manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods

partners:

US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990)

External debt:

$130.4 billion (June 1991)

Industrial production:

growth rate --0.9% (1991); accounts for 32% of GDP

Electricity:

40,000,000 kW capacity; 155,000 million kWh produced, 8,960 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries:

mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles

Agriculture:

accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues; world's largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton, and among top wheat exporters; major crops - wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit; livestock - cattle, sheep, poultry

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

Economic aid:

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4 billion

Currency:

Australian dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3360 (January 1992), 1.2836 (1991), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987)

:Australia Economy

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

:Australia Communications

Railroads:

40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge; 1,130 km electrified; government owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of privately owned track) (1985)

Highways:

837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways:

8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft

Pipelines:

crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km

Ports:

Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville

Merchant marine:

85 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,324,803 GRT/3,504,385 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 8 container, 11 roll-on/roll-off, 1 vehicle carrier, 17 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 30 bulk, 1 combination bulk

Civil air:

about 150 major transport aircraft

Airports:

481 total, 440 usable; 237 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runway over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 268 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications:

good international and domestic service; 8.7 million telephones; broadcast stations - 258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service; satellite stations - 4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

:Australia Defense Forces

Branches:

Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force

Manpower availability:

males 15-49, 4,769,005; 4,153,060 fit for military service; 138,117 reach military age (17) annually

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $7.5 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92 budget)

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