Australia

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

fresh water lake(s):

Lake Alexandrina - 570 sq km

salt water lake(s):

• Lake Eyre - 9,690 sq km;
• Lake Torrens (ephemeral) - 5,780 sq km;
• Lake Gairdner - 4,470 sq km;
• Lake Mackay (ephemeral) - 3,494 sq km;
• Lake Frome - 2,410 sq km;
• Lake Amadeus (ephemeral) - 1,032 sq km

• River Murray - 2,508 km;
• Darling River - 1,545 km;
• Murrumbidgee River - 1,485 km;
• Lachlan River - 1,339 km;
• Cooper Creek - 1,113 km;
• Flinders River - 1,004 km

Indian Ocean drainage:

(Great Australian Bight) Murray-Darling (1,050,116 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Lake Eyre (1,212,198 sq km)

• 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

noun:

Australian(s)

adjective:

Australian

total:

38.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

36.9 years

female:

39.2 years

• 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:

1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.85 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

3.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

83.5 years (2024 est.)

male:

81.3 years

female:

85.7 years

total:

9.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

3.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

1.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

13.6% (2020 est.)

male:

15.6% (2020 est.)

female:

11.5% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• 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

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

urban population:

86.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

note: data include Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island

particulate matter emissions:

8.93 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

375.91 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

105.01 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

13.345 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

5,618,245 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

42.1% (2015 est.)

fresh water lake(s):

Lake Alexandrina - 570 sq km

salt water lake(s):

• Lake Eyre - 9,690 sq km;
• Lake Torrens (ephemeral) - 5,780 sq km;
• Lake Gairdner - 4,470 sq km;
• Lake Mackay (ephemeral) - 3,494 sq km;
• Lake Frome - 2,410 sq km;
• Lake Amadeus (ephemeral) - 1,032 sq km

• River Murray - 2,508 km;
• Darling River - 1,545 km;
• Murrumbidgee River - 1,485 km;
• Lachlan River - 1,339 km;
• Cooper Creek - 1,113 km;
• Flinders River - 1,004 km

Indian Ocean drainage:

(Great Australian Bight) Murray-Darling (1,050,116 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Lake Eyre (1,212,198 sq km)

municipal:

2.29 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

2.89 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

8.57 billion cubic meters (2020 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:

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Samantha (Sam) MOSTYN (since 1 July 2024)

head of government:

Prime Minister Anthony ALBANESE (since 23 May 2022)

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 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 Circuit and Family Court of Australia;
• 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 or The Greens
• Australian Labor Party or ALP
• Centre Alliance (formerly known as the Nick Xenophon Team or NXT)
• Jacqui Lambie Network or JLN
• Katter's Australian Party
• Liberal Party of Australia
• The Nationals
• One Nation or ONP
• United Australia Party

note: the Labor Party is Australia’s oldest political party, established federally in 1901; the present Liberal Party was formed in 1944; the Country Party was formed in 1920, renamed the National Country Party in 1975, the National Party of Australia in 1982, and since 2003 has been known as the Nationals;

since the general election of 1949, the Liberal Party and the Nationals (under various names) when forming government have done so as a coalition

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kevin Michael RUDD (since 19 April 2023)

chancery:

1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-3000

FAX:

[1] (202) 797-3168

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://usa.embassy.gov.au/

consulate(s) general:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Caroline KENNEDY (since 25 July 2022)

embassy:

Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory 2600

mailing address:

7800 Canberra Place, Washington DC 20512-7800

telephone:

[61] (02) 6214-5600

FAX:

[61] (02) 9373-9184

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://au.usembassy.gov/

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

total World Heritage Sites:

20 (4 cultural, 12 natural, 4 mixed); note - includes one site on Heard Island and McDonald Islands

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Great Barrier Reef (n);
• Greater Blue Mountains Area (n);
• Fraser Island (n);
• Gondwana Rainforests (n);
• Lord Howe Island Group (n);
• Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (c);
• Shark Bay (n);
• Sydney Opera House (c);
• Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park (m);
• Kakadu National Park (m)

• highly developed, diversified, regionally and globally integrated economy;
• strong mining, manufacturing, and service sectors;
• net exporter driven by commodities to East Asian trade partners;
• “Future Made in Australia” program focused on green energy investments

Fitch rating:

AAA (2011)

Moody's rating:

Aaa (2002)

Standard & Poors rating: AAA (2003)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

2.4% (2023 est.)

industry:

27.4% (2023 est.)

services:

64.2% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

8.6% (2023 est.)

male:

9.6% (2023 est.)

female:

7.5% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

10.4% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

4.2% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7% (2018 est.)

highest 10%:

26.6% (2018 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

465.865 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

107.624 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

364.589 million metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

657,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

150.227 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

386,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

1.123 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

2.446 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

153.783 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

50.188 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports:

106.072 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

2.925 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

3.228 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• the Australian telecom market since 2020 has been impacted by the pandemic, which forced many people to school and work from home and thus adopt fixed-line broadband services;
• internet traffic, both fixed and mobile, increased substantially as a result;
• in the fixed sector, there is an ongoing migration from copper-based platforms to fiber;
• the extension of fixed wireless access will mean that up to 120,000 premises currently dependent on satellite broadband will be able to access 5G-based fixed services;
• the fixed-line market has been falling steadily over the past five years;
• in the Australian fixed broadband market, there is a dynamic shift among customers to fiber networks;
• the DSL sector is steadily shrinking while subscribers on HFC infrastructure will continue to be provided by existing cable, with a steady migration to full fiber connectivity (2022)

domestic:

• 18 per 100 fixed-line telephone subscriptions and 105 per 100 mobile-cellular;
• more subscribers to mobile services than there are people;
• 90% of all mobile device sales are now smartphones, growth in mobile traffic brisk (2021)

international:

• country code - 61;
• landing points for more than 20 submarine cables including: the SeaMeWe-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe;
• the INDIGO-Central, INDIGO West and ASC, North West Cable System, Australia-Papua New Guinea cable, CSCS, PPC-1, Gondwana-1, SCCN, Hawaiki, TGA, Basslink, Bass Strait-1, Bass Strait-2, JGA-S, with links to other Australian cities, New Zealand and many countries in southeast Asia, US and Europe;
• the H2 Cable, AJC, Telstra Endeavor, Southern Cross NEXT with links to Japan, Hong Kong, and other Pacific Ocean countries as well as the US;
• satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat, 2 Globalstar, 5 other (2019)

• the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) runs multiple national and local radio networks and TV stations, as well as ABC Australia, a TV service that broadcasts in 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 (2022)

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 (2018) mt-km

total:

32,606 km (2022) 3,448 km electrified

standard gauge:

18,007 km (2022) 1.435 mm

narrow gauge:

11,914 km (2022) 1.067 mm

broad gauge:

2,685 km (2022) 1.600 mm

total:

873,573 km

urban:

145,928 km

non-urban:

727,645 km (2015)

total ports:

66 (2024)

large:

5

medium:

8

small:

24

very small:

29

ports with oil terminals:

38

key ports:

Brisbane, Dampier, Darwin, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Adelaide, Port Dalrymple, Port Kembla, Port Lincoln, Sydney