Australia

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

• alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum;
• note - Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports

agricultural land:

52.9% (2016 est.)

arable land:

11.6% (2016 est.) / permanent crops: 0.09% (2016 est.) / permanent pasture: 88.4% (2016 est.)

forest:

16.2% (2016 est.)

other:

30.9% (2016 est.)

• population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast;
• a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west;
• of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population;
• the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population

• cyclones along the coast;
• severe droughts;
• forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands

• soil erosion from overgrazing, deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices;
• limited natural freshwater resources;
• soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water;
• drought, desertification;
• clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species;
• disruption of the fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions;
• 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;
• overfishing, pollution, and invasive species are also problems

noun:

Australian(s)

adjective:

Australian

• population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast;
• a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west;
• of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population;
• the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

improved:

total: 100% of population

unimproved:

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form:

Australia

etymology:

• the name Australia derives from the Latin "australis" meaning "southern";
• the Australian landmass was long referred to as "Terra Australis" or the Southern Land

• 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)

history:

approved in a series of referenda from 1898 through 1900 and became law 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage requires approval of a referendum bill by absolute majority vote in both houses of Parliament, approval in a referendum by a majority of voters in at least four states and in the territories, and Royal Assent;
• proposals that would reduce a state’s representation in either house or change a state’s boundaries require that state’s approval prior to Royal Assent;
• amended several times, last in 1977

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

4 years

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General David HURLEY (since 1 July 2019)

head of government:

Prime Minister Scott MORRISON (since 24 August 2018)

cabinet:

Cabinet nominated by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and sworn in by the governor general

elections/appointments:

• 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 majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general

highest courts:

• 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:

• at the federal level: Federal Court;
• Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia;
• Family Court;
• 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 [Adam BANDT]
• Australian Labor Party or ALP [Anthony ALBANESE]
• Country Liberal Party or CLP [Gary HIGGINS]
• Liberal National Party of Queensland or LNP [Deborah FRECKLINGTON]
• Liberal Party of Australia [Scott MORRISON]
• The Nationals [Michael MCCORMACK]
• Centre Alliance [Nick XENOPHON]
• Pauline Hanson’s One Nation [Pauline HANSON]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Arthur SINODINOS (since 6 February 2020)

chancery:

1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-3000

FAX:

[1] (202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Arthur B. CULVAHOUSE (since 19 February 2019)

telephone:

[61] (02) 6214-5600

embassy:

Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600

mailing address:

APO AP 96549

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

Fitch rating:

AAA (2011)

Moody's rating:

Aaa (2002)

Standard & Poors rating: AAA (2003)

agriculture:

3.6%

industry:

21.1%

services:

75.3% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

25.4% (1994)

• 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

number of registered air carriers:

25 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 583

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

75,667,645 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

2,027,640,000 mt-km (2018)

total:

33,343 km (2015)

standard gauge:

17,446 km 1.435-m gauge (650 km electrified) (2015)

narrow gauge:

12,318 km 1.067-m gauge (2,075.5 km electrified) (2015)

broad gauge:

3,247 km 1.600-m gauge (372 km electrified) (2015)

total:

873,573 km (2015)

urban:

145,928 km (2015)

non-urban:

727,645 km (2015)

total:

579

by type:

bulk carrier 4general cargo 80, oil tanker 7, other 488 (2019)

• the Australian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and imported Western (mostly US-origin, particularly aircraft) weapons systems;
• since 2015, the US is the largest supplier of arms, followed by Spain;
• the Australian defense industry produces a variety of land and sea weapons platforms;
• the defense industry also participates in joint development and production ventures with other Western countries, including the US and Canada (2019 est.)

• 17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent);
• no conscription;
• women allowed to serve in most combat roles (2018)

• 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 extends its continental margins over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its seabed roughly 30 percent beyond its claimed EEZ;
• all borders between Indonesia and Australia have been agreed upon bilaterally, but a 1997 treaty that would settle the last of their maritime and 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

refugees (country of origin):

13,122 (Iraq), 12,714 (Afghanistan), 12,537 (Iran), 5,578 (Pakistan) (2019)

stateless persons:

132 (2018)

• 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