The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 1999 to 2025 Oceania

Background Australia, in 27 editions.

The entry for Australia published Background in 27 editions of 36, from 1999 to 2025. The text changed in 14 editions. Each is shown as published. Background in every entry.

editions changed the text
14
the first edition with it
1999
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Background” (1999 to 2025).

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2011 edition

Changed since 2010

Open the 2011 entry

The same text in 2011 and 2012.

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include ageing of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as frequent droughts.

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain. Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion ageing of the ozone layer population, pressure on infrastructure, and more environmental issues such as frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. droughts.

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Central Intelligence Agency. “Australia: Background.” The World Factbook, 1999–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/australia/background.

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