1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Coastline
25,760 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than the US
Disputes
territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)
Environment
subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 12 nm; Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil
Note
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country
Terrain
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Total area
7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island
People and Society
Birth rate
15 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1%
Infant mortality rate
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
7,700,000; finance and services 33.8%, public and community services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing and industry 16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987)
Language
English, native languages
Life expectancy at birth
74 years male, 80 years female (1991)
Literacy
100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Nationality
noun--Australian(s); adjective--Australian
Net migration rate
7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
42% of labor force (1988)
Population
17,288,044 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)
Religion
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3%
Total fertility rate
1.8 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Capital
Canberra
Communists
4,000 members (est.)
Constitution
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Dependent areas
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96404); telephone [61] (6) 270-5000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane
Elections
Senate--last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by July 1993); results--Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats--(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7, independents 3; House of Representatives--last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by November 1993); results--Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats and independents 11.1%; seats--(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
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; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
Independence
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Judicial branch
High Court
Leaders
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since 11 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990)
Legal system
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
Commonwealth of Australia
Member of
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, G-8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29 January 1990
Other political or pressure groups
Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
Political parties and leaders
government--Australian Labor Party, Robert James Lee HAWKE; opposition--Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER; Australian Democratic Party, Janet POWELL
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
federal parliamentary state
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues; world's largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton, and among top wheat exporters; major crops--wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit; livestock--cattle, sheep, poultry
Budget
revenues $74.2 billion; expenditures $67.9 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90)
Currency
Australian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Economic aid
donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4 billion
Electricity
38,000,000 kW capacity; 150,000 million kWh produced, 8,860 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.2834 (January 1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
Exports
$39.8 billion (f.o.b., FY90); commodities--metals, minerals, coal, wool, cereals, meat, manufacturers; partners--Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong
External debt
$123.7 billion (September 1990)
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GDP
$255.9 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 2.2% (1990)
Imports
$42.0 billion (f.o.b., FY90); commodities--manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods; partners--US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990)
Industrial production
growth rate - 1.8% (1990); accounts for 32% of GDP
Industries
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
6.9% (December 1990)
Overview
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GNP comparable to levels in industrialized West European countries. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that, as happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods but competition in international markets will be severe.
Unemployment rate
9.2% (March 1991)
Communications
Airports
747 total, 524 usable; 270 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 17 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 401 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
around 150 major transport aircraft
Highways
837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft
Merchant marine
77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,249,926 GRT/3,391,323 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 6 cargo, 6 container, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 30 bulk
Pipelines
crude oil, 2,500 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas, 5,600 km
Ports
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Railroads
40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge; 1,130 km electrified; government owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of privately owned track) (1985)
Telecommunications
good international and domestic service; 8.7 million telephones; stations--258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service; satellite stations--4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Defense expenditures
$6.6 billion, 2.2% of GDP (FY90) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 4,689,559; 4,090,921 fit for military service; 135,435 reach military age (17) annually