:Australia Geography Total area: 7,686,850 km2 Land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US Land boundaries: none Coastline: 25,760 km 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 Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL% 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 Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country :Australia People Population: 17,576,354 (July 1992), growth rate 1.4% (1992) Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Australian(s); adjective - Australian Ethnic divisions: Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1% Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3% Languages: English, native languages Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.) Labor force: 8,630,000 (September 1991); 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) Organized labor: 40% of labor force (November 1991) :Australia Government Long-form name: Commonwealth of Australia Type: federal parliamentary state Capital: Canberra Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) 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 Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives Judicial branch: High Court Leaders: Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since 16 February 1989) Head of Government: Prime Minister Paul John KEATING (since 20 December 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Brian HOWE (since 4 June 1991) 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 Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: House of Representatives: last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by NA 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 Senate: last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by NA 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 Communists: 4,000 members (est.) :Australia Government 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) 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, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC 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 AP 96549); telephone [61] (6) 270-5000; FAX [61] (6) 270-5970; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in 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 :Australia Economy 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. GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $280.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate --0.6% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (September 1991) Unemployment rate: 10.5% (November 1991) Budget: revenues $76.9 billion; expenditures $75.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY91) Exports: $41.7 billion (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: metals, minerals, coal, wool, cereals, meat, manufacturers partners: Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong Imports: $37.8 billion (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods partners: US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990) External debt: $130.4 billion (June 1991) Industrial production: growth rate --0.9% (1991); accounts for 32% of GDP Electricity: 40,000,000 kW capacity; 155,000 million kWh produced, 8,960 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles 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 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 Economic aid: donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4 billion Currency: Australian dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3360 (January 1992), 1.2836 (1991), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987) :Australia Economy Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June :Australia Communications 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) 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 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 Merchant marine: 85 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,324,803 GRT/3,504,385 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 8 container, 11 roll-on/roll-off, 1 vehicle carrier, 17 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 30 bulk, 1 combination bulk Civil air: about 150 major transport aircraft Airports: 481 total, 440 usable; 237 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runway over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 268 with runways 1,220-2,439 m 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 :Australia Defense Forces Branches: Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,769,005; 4,153,060 fit for military service; 138,117 reach military age (17) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $7.5 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92 budget)