1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
Australia became a British commonwealth in 1901. Blessed by rich natural resources, the country enjoyed rapid gains in herding, agriculture, and manufacturing and made a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Australia subsequently developed its minerals, metals, and fossil fuel markets, all of which have become key Australian exports. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney will host the 2000 summer Olympics.
Geography
Area
total: 7,686,850 sq km land: 7,617,930 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Area--comparative
slightly smaller than the US
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Coastline
25,760 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciusko 2,229 m
Environment--current issues
soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; 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; limited natural fresh water resources
Environment--international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
Geographic coordinates
27 00 S, 133 00 E
Geography--note
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer
Irrigated land
21,070 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 54% forests and woodland: 19% other: 21% (1993 est.)
Location
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Map references
Oceania
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
cyclones along the coast; severe droughts
Natural resources
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Terrain
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 21% (male 2,023,569; female 1,926,901) 15-64 years: 66% (male 6,317,045; female 6,172,735) 65 years and over: 13% (male 1,022,485; female 1,320,816) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
13.21 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
6.9 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Infant mortality rate
5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
English, native languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 80.14 years male: 77.22 years female: 83.23 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.)
Nationality
noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian
Net migration rate
2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
18,783,551 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
0.9% (1999 est.)
Religions
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.81 children born/woman (1999 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
Constitution
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Country name
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia
Data code
AS
Dependent areas
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir William DEANE (since 16 February 1996) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Timothy Andrew FISCHER (since 11 March 1996) cabinet: Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term
Flag description
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
Government type
democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
Independence
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
International organization participation
ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Sharp PEACOCK chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: APO AP 96549 consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney
Judicial branch
High Court, the Chief Justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general Political parties and leaders: Political pressure groups and leaders: Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
Legal system
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats--12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives) elections: Senate--last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives--last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001) election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--Liberal-National 35, Labor 29, Australian Democrats 9, Greens 1, One Nation 1, independent 1; House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--Liberal-National 80, Labor 67, independent 1
National holiday
Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Economy
Agriculture--products
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry
Budget
revenues: $90.73 billion expenditures: $89.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Currency
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Debt--external
$156 billion (June 1997)
Economic aid--donor
ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98)
Economy--overview
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s, but the economy has expanded at reasonably steady rates in recent years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate that reached 4.5% last year. After a slow start in 1998, exports rebounded in the second half of the year because of a sharp currency depreciation and a redirection of sales to Europe, North America, and Latin America.
Electricity--consumption
166.683 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
166.683 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 91.14% hydro: 8.84% nuclear: 0% other: 0.02% (1996)
Exchange rates
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.56 (February 1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3668 (1994)
Exports
$56 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports--partners
Japan 20%, ASEAN 16%, EU 10%, South Korea 9%, US 9%, NZ 8%, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1997)
Fiscal year
1 July--30 June
GDP
purchasing power parity--$393.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 4% industry: 31% services: 65% (1997 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$21,200 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
4.5% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 24.8% (1989)
Imports
$61 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities
machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Imports--partners
EU 25%, US 23%, Japan 13%, China, NZ (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
1.2% (1995)
Industries
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1% (1998)
Labor force
9.2 million (December 1997)
Labor force--by occupation
services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
8.1% (1998)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (Australia's only shortwave station, Radio Australia, broadcasts to the world in seven languages, using 23 frequencies) (1998)
Radios
NA
Telephone system
excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations--10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions)
Telephones
8.7 million (1987 est.)
Television broadcast stations
104 (64 of these stations are government-owned and 40 are commercial) (1997)
Televisions
9.2 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Airports
408 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 262 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 112 914 to 1,523 m: 120 under 914 m: 8 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 146 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 114 under 914 m: 13 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 913,000 km paved: 353,331 km (including 13,630 km of expressways) unpaved: 559,669 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,767,387 GRT/2,426,710 DWT ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 3, chemical tanker 4, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 8, passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km Ports and harbors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Railways
total: 38,563 km (2,914 km electrified) broad gauge: 6,083 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 16,752 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 15,728 km 1.067-m gauge dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges
Waterways
8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft
Military and Security
Military branches
Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$6.9 billion (FY97/98)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
1.9% (FY97/98)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 4,882,693 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,212,272 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
17 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 130,570 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)
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