Australia

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

total:

22.58 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%)

per capita:

1,152 cu m/yr (2010)

• cyclones along the coast;
• severe droughts;
• forest fires

volcanism:

volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands

• 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 freshwater resources

• world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country;
• the largest country in Oceania, the largest country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest country without land borders;
• the only continent without glaciers;
• population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts;
• the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world

noun:

Australian(s)

adjective:

Australian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.85 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form:

Australia

name:

Canberra

geographic coordinates:

35 16 S, 149 08 E

time difference:

UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April

note: Australia has three time zones

• Australia Day (commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers), 26 January (1788);
• ANZAC Day (commemorates the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

• 9 July 1900;
• effective 1 January 1901;
• amended several times, last in 1977;
• note - a referendum to amend the constitution to reflect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act 2013 is to be completed by the end of 2014 (2013)

chief of state:

Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Peter COSGROVE (since 28 March 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Anthony John "Tony" ABBOTT (since 18 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Warren TRUSS (since 18 September 2013)

cabinet:

prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the monarchy 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

highest court(s):

• High Court of Australia (consists of 7 justices, including the chief justice);
• note - each of the 6 states, 2 territories, and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court;
• the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts

judge selection and term of office:

justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

subordinate courts at the federal level:

• Federal Court;
• Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia;
• Family Court;
• subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales;
• Magistrates' Courts – Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory;
• District Courts – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia;
• County Court – Victoria;
• Family Court – Western Australia;
• Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island

• Australian Greens Party [Christine MILNE]
• Australian Labor Party [Bill SHORTEN]
• Country Liberal Party [Terry MILLS]
• Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]
• Katter's Australian Party [Bob KATTER]
• Liberal National Party of Queensland [Campbell NEWMAN]
• Liberal Party [Tony ABBOTT]
• National Party of Australia [Warren TRUSS]
• Palmer United Party [Clive PALMER]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kim Christian BEAZLEY (since 7 February 2010)

chancery:

1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-3000

FAX:

[1] (202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador John BERRY (since 25 September 2013)

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

• 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 or Federation 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;
• on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small, five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars

• Southern Cross constellation (five, seven-pointed stars);
• kangaroo;
• emu

agriculture:

3.6%

industry:

21.1%

services:

75% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

25.4% (1994)

general assessment:

excellent domestic and international service

domestic:

• domestic satellite system;
• significant use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density;
• rapid growth of mobile telephones

international:

• country code - 61;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States;
• satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2007)

• the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) runs multiple national and local radio networks and TV stations, as well as Australia Network, a TV service that broadcasts throughout the Asia-Pacific region and is the main public broadcaster;
• Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), a second large public broadcaster, operates radio and TV networks broadcasting in multiple languages;
• several large national commercial TV networks, a large number of local commercial TV stations, and hundreds of commercial radio stations are accessible;
• cable and satellite systems are available (2008)

• condensate/gas 637 km;
• gas 30,054 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 240 km;
• oil 3,609 km;
• oil/gas/water 110 km;
• refined products 72 km (2013)

total:

38,445 km

country comparison to the world: 7

broad gauge:

3,355 km 1.600-m gauge

standard gauge:

21,674 km 1.435-m gauge (650 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

9,539 km 1.067-m gauge (2,067 km electrified); 3,877 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

total:

823,217 km

country comparison to the world: 9

paved:

356,343 km

unpaved:

466,874 km (2011)

Australian Defense Force (ADF):

• Australian Army;
• Royal Australian Navy (includes Naval Aviation Force);
• Royal Australian Air Force;
• Joint Operations Command (JOC) (2013)

• 17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent);
• no conscription;
• women allowed to serve in most combat roles, except the Army special forces (2013)

males age 16-49:

5,316,464

females age 16-49:

5,116,722 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

4,411,958

females age 16-49:

4,239,985 (2010 est.)

male:

143,565

female:

135,800 (2010 est.)

• In 2007, Australia and Timor-Leste agreed to a 50-year development zone and revenue sharing arrangement and deferred a maritime boundary;
• Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica;
• Australia's 2004 submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) extends its continental margins over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its seabed roughly 30 percent beyond its claimed exclusive economic zone;
• all borders between Indonesia and Australia have been agreed upon bilaterally, but a 1997 treaty that would settle the last of their maritime and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary has yet to be ratified by Indonesia's legislature;
• Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef;
• Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing

• 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;
• major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines