Australia

federal parliamentary stateIndependence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Australia as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalCanberra
LocationSouthwestern Oceania, between Indonesia and New Zealand
1994

Every edition of Australia

Populationas each edition published it
18.08 million July 1994 est. · 16.92m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.38% 1994 est. · 1.41% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 36 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 77.36 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.83 children per woman 1994 est. · 1.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
7.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 8 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$19,100 1993 · $16,700 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4% 1993 · 2.5% in 1993

Geography

Southwestern Oceania, between Indonesia and New Zealand

26 fields
Coastline
25,760km
land boundaries: 0 km
Irrigated land
18,800sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Southwestern Oceania, between Indonesia and New Zealand

Map references

Southeast Asia, Oceania, Antarctic Region, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

7,686,850 sq km

land area

7,617,930 sq km

comparative area

slightly smaller than the US

note

includes Macquarie Island

contiguous zone

12 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International 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, petroleum

arable land

6%

permanent crops

0%

meadows and pastures

58%

forest and woodland

14%

other

22%

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 freshwater availability

natural hazards

cyclones along the coast; subject to severe droughts

international agreements

  • party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

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

21 fields
Population
18,077,419
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.38% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
14.29Death
7.38Net migration
6.91

Ethnic divisions

Caucasian 95%Asian 4%aboriginal and other 1%
Labor force
8.63million
(September 1991)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1980 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

77.57 years

male

74.45 years

female

80.84 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Australian(s)

adjective

Australian

Religions

Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%

Languages

English, native languages

total population

100%

male

100%

female

100%

by occupation

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)

Government

Federal parliamentary state

36 fields

Legislature, 76 seatsone dot, one seat

Liberal-National 36Labor 30Australian Democrats 7Greens 2independents 1

Legislature, 147 seatsone dot, one seat

Labor 80Liberal-National 65independent 2

conventional long form

Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form

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

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 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)

cabinet

Cabinet; prime minister selects his cabinet from members of the House and Senate

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Parliament

Senate

  • elections last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA 1996);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (76 total) Liberal-National 36, Labor 30, Australian Democrats 7, Greens 2, independents 1

House of Representatives

  • elections last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA 1996);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (147 total) Labor 80, Liberal-National 65, independent 2

Judicial branch

High Court

government

Australian Labor Party, Paul John KEATING

opposition

  • Liberal Party, John HEWSON;
  • National Party, Timothy FISCHER;
  • Australian Democratic Party, Cheryl KERNOT;
  • Green Party, leader NA

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, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC

chief of mission

Ambassador Donald RUSSELL

chancery

1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone

(202) 797-3000

FAX

(202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco

chief of mission

Ambassador Edward PERKINS

embassy

Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600

mailing address

APO AP 96549

telephone

[61] (6) 270-5000

FAX

[61] (6) 270-5970

consulate(s) general

Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney

consulate(s)

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

Economy

Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a | per capita GDP comparable to levels in industrialized West European | countries.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$19,100
(1993)
Real growth rate
4%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate 1.9% (FY93); accounts for 32% of GDP
Unemployment rate
10%
(December 1993)

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. Primary products account for more than 60% of the value of total exports, so that, as in 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. Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s. In 1992-93 the economy recovered slowly from the prolonged recession of 1990-91, a major restraining factor being weak world demand for Australia's exports.

Unemployment has hovered around 10% and probably will remain at that level in 1994 as productivity gains rather than more jobs account for growth.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $339.7 billion (1993)

revenues

$71.9 billion

expenditures

$83.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93)

Exports

$44.1 billion (1992)

commodities

coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment

partners

Japan 25%, US 11%, South Korea 6%, NZ 5.7%, UK, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong (1992)

Imports

$43.6 billion (1992)

commodities

machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, crude oil and petroleum products

partners

US 23%, Japan 18%, UK 6%, Germany 5.7%, NZ 4% (1992)

External debt

$141.1 billion (1993)

capacity

40,000,000 kW

production

150 billion kWh

consumption per capita

8,475 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for 5% of GDP and over 30% 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

donor

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

Currency

1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

15 fields

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)

total

837,872 km

paved

243,750 km

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 228,396 km; unimproved earth 365,726 km

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

83 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,517,538 GRT/3,711,549 DWT, bulk 30, cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 7, liquefied gas 5, oil tanker 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 2, vehicle carrier 1

total

481

usable

440

with permanent-surface runways

241

with runways over 3,659 m

1

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

20

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

268

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

Defense Forces

Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force

3 fields

Branches

Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 4,885,574;
  • fit for military service 4,239,459;
  • reach military age (17) annually 133,337 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92/93)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Australia.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/australia/1994.

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