1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 7,686,850 km2 land area: 7,617,930 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than the US note: includes Macquarie Island
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Coastline
25,760 km
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
International disputes
territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)
Irrigated land
18,800 km2 (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 58% forest and woodland: 14% other: 22%
Location
Oceania, between Indonesia and New Zealand
Map references
Southeast Asia, Oceania, Antarctic Region, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Note
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country
Terrain
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
People and Society
Birth rate
14.43 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
7.38 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1%
Infant mortality rate
7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
8.63 million (September 1991) by occupation: 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)
Languages
English, native languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.36 years male: 74.24 years female: 80.63 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%
Nationality
noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian
Net migration rate
7.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
17,827,204 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
1.41% (1993 est.)
Religions
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%
Total fertility rate
1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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
Chief of State
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since 16 February 1989)
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
Digraph
AS
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. COOK chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 797-3000 consulates general: Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
FAX
[61] (6) 270-5970 consulates general: Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney consulate: Brisbane
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
Head of Government
Prime Minister Paul John KEATING (since 20 December 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Brian HOWE (since 4 June 1991)
House of Representatives
last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA May 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (147 total) Labor 80, Liberal-National 65, independent 2
Independence
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Judicial branch
High Court
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
Member of
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, COCOM, 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, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Names
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia
National holiday
Australia Day, 26 January
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, Paul John KEATING opposition: Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER; Australian Democratic Party, John COULTER
Senate
last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA May 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (76 total) Liberal-National 36, Labor 30, Australian Democrats 7, Greens 2, independents 1
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Type
federal parliamentary state
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: (vacant) embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: APO AP 96549 telephone: [61] (6) 270-5000
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 5% of GDP 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 $68.5 billion; expenditures $78.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93)
Currency
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Economic aid
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4 billion
Electricity
40,000,000 kW capacity; 150,000 million kWh produced, 8,475 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4837 (January 1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2836 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988)
Exports
$41.7 billion (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment partners: Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong
External debt
$130.4 billion (June 1991)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Illicit drugs
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
Imports
$37.8 billion (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, crude oil and petroleum products partners: US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990)
Industrial production
growth rate NA%; accounts for 32% of GDP
Industries
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.8% (September 1992)
National product
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $293.5 billion (1992)
National product per capita
$16,700 (1992)
National product real growth rate
2.5% (1992)
Overview
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP 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 continues to be severe.
Unemployment rate
11.3% (December 1992)
Communications
Airports
total: 481 usable: 439 with permanent-surface runways: 243 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 268
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
82 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,347,271 GRT/3,534,926 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 7 container, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1 vehicle carrier, 17 oil tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 30 bulk, 2 combination bulk
Pipelines
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum 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; broadcast 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
exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92/93)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 4,830,068; fit for military service 4,198,622; reach military age (17) annually 135,591 (1993 est.)