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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2014 edition

Same as 2013

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The same text in 2013 and 2014.

Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 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 Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy.

Long-term concerns include aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.

Aboriginal Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about at least 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 Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include ageing aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as frequent droughts. floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.

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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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