Australia
Commonwealth of Australia
democratic, federal-state system recognizing theIndependence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Australia as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 108 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Australia became a British commonwealth in 1901. Blessed by rich natural resources, the country enjoyed rapid gains in herding, agriculture, and manufacturing and made a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Australia subsequently developed its minerals, metals, and fossil fuel markets, all of which have become key Australian exports. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney will host the 2000 summer Olympics.
Geography
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the | South Pacific Ocean
18 fieldsLand useshare of 7,686,850 sq km
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
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 Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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, Desertification
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
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1999 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 21% (male 2,023,569; female 1,926,901)
- 15-64 years:
- 66% (male 6,317,045; female 6,172,735)
- 65 years and over:
- 13% (male 1,022,485; female 1,320,816) (1999 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.77 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Government
Democratic, federal-state system recognizing the; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir William DEANE (since 16 February 1996); Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996)
19 fieldsLegislature, 148 seatsone dot, one seat
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir William DEANE (since 16 February 1996)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Timothy Andrew FISCHER (since 11 March 1996)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
- 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 for a three-year term
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 territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)
- elections:
- Senate--last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives--last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001)
- election results:
- Senate--percent of vote by party--NA;
- seats by party--Liberal-National 35, Labor 29, Australian Democrats 9, Greens 1, One Nation 1, independent 1;
- House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA;
- seats by party--Liberal-National 80, Labor 67, independent 1
Judicial branch
High Court, the Chief Justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general
Political pressure groups and leaders
Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
International organization participation
ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Andrew Sharp PEACOCK
- chancery:
- 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
- consulate(s) general:
- Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES
- embassy:
- Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600
- mailing address:
- APO AP 96549
- consulate(s) general:
- Melbourne, Perth, and 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 has a prosperous Western-style | capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four | dominant West European economies.
31 fieldsGDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)
Electricity
Economy--overview
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that 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, but the economy has expanded at reasonably steady rates in recent years.
Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate that reached 4.5% last year. After a slow start in 1998, exports rebounded in the second half of the year because of a sharp currency depreciation and a redirection of sales to Europe, North America, and Latin America.
Exports--commodities
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports--partners
Japan 20%, ASEAN 16%, EU 10%, South Korea 9%, US 9%, NZ 8%, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1997)
Imports--commodities
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Exchange rates
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.56 (February 1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3668 (1994)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
excellent domestic and international service
- domestic:
- domestic satellite system
- 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)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (Australia's only shortwave station, Radio Australia, broadcasts to the world in seven languages, using 23 frequencies) (1998)
Television broadcast stations
104 (64 of these stations are government-owned and 40 are commercial) (1997)
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 57 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 38,563 km (2,914 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 6,083 km 1.600-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 16,752 km 1.435-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 15,728 km 1.067-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 172 km NA gauges
Highways
- total:
- 913,000 km
- paved:
- 353,331 km (including 13,630 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 559,669 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Military
Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal | Australian Air Force
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Australia.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/australia/1999.