Australia




                                 Geography


Location:
     Southwestern Oceania, between Indonesia and New Zealand
Map references:
     Southeast Asia, Oceania, Antarctic Region, Standard Time Zones of the
     World
Area:
total area:
     7,686,850 sq km
land area:
     7,617,930 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than the US
note:
     includes Macquarie Island
Land boundaries:
     0 km
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
International 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, petroleum
Land use:
arable land:
     6%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     58%
forest and woodland:
     14%
other:
     22%
Irrigated land:
     18,800 sq km (1989 est.)




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 freshwater availability
natural hazards:
     cyclones along the coast; subject to severe droughts
international agreements:
     party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
     Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
     Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
     Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
     Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
     ratified - Law of the Sea
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


                                  People


Population:
     18,077,419 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.38% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     14.29 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     7.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     6.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     77.57 years
male:
     74.45 years
female:
     80.84 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Australian(s)
adjective:
     Australian
Ethnic divisions:
     Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, aboriginal and other 1%




Religions:
     Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%
Languages:
     English, native languages
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
     100%
male:
     100%
female:
     100%
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)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     AS
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
Dependent areas:
     Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling)
     Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk
     Island
Independence:
     1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
National holiday:
     Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution:
     9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system:
     based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
     reservations
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 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)
cabinet:
     Cabinet; prime minister selects his cabinet from members of the House
     and Senate
Legislative branch:
     bicameral Federal Parliament
Senate:
     elections last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA 1996);
     results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (76 total)
     Liberal-National 36, Labor 30, Australian Democrats 7, Greens 2,
     independents 1
House of Representatives:
     elections last held 13 March 1993 (next to be held by NA 1996);
     results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (147 total) Labor 80,
     Liberal-National 65, independent 2
Judicial branch:
     High Court
Political parties and leaders:
government:
     Australian Labor Party, Paul John KEATING
opposition:
     Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER;
     Australian Democratic Party, Cheryl KERNOT; Green Party, leader NA
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, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA,
     SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOSOM,
     UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Donald RUSSELL
chancery:
     1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
     (202) 797-3000
FAX:
     (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general:
     Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American
     Samoa), and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Edward PERKINS
embassy:
     Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600
mailing address:
     APO AP 96549




telephone:
     [61] (6) 270-5000
FAX:
     [61] (6) 270-5970
consulate(s) general:
     Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney
consulate(s):
     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


                                  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. Primary
     products account for more than 60% of the value of total exports, so
     that, as in 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. Australia has suffered from the low
     growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the
     early 1990s. In 1992-93 the economy recovered slowly from the
     prolonged recession of 1990-91, a major restraining factor being weak
     world demand for Australia's exports. Unemployment has hovered around
     10% and probably will remain at that level in 1994 as productivity
     gains rather than more jobs account for growth.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $339.7 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
     4% (1993)
National product per capita:
     $19,100 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     1.1% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
     10% (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
     $71.9 billion
expenditures:
     $83.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93)
Exports:
     $44.1 billion (1992)
commodities:
     coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport
     equipment




partners:
     Japan 25%, US 11%, South Korea 6%, NZ 5.7%, UK, Taiwan, Singapore,
     Hong Kong (1992)
Imports:
     $43.6 billion (1992)
commodities:
     machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
     crude oil and petroleum products
partners:
     US 23%, Japan 18%, UK 6%, Germany 5.7%, NZ 4% (1992)
External debt:
     $141.1 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 1.9% (FY93); accounts for 32% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     40,000,000 kW
production:
     150 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     8,475 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
     chemicals, steel
Agriculture:
     accounts for 5% of GDP and over 30% 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), $10.4 billion
Currency:
     1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704
     (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     1 July - 30 June


                              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:
total:
     837,872 km




paved:
     243,750 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 228,396 km; unimproved earth
     365,726 km
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:
     83 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,517,538 GRT/3,711,549 DWT,
     bulk 30, cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 7,
     liquefied gas 5, oil tanker 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea
     passenger 2, vehicle carrier 1
Airports:
total:
     481
usable:
     440
with permanent-surface runways:
     241
with runways over 3,659 m:
     1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     20
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     268
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


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 4,885,574; fit for military service 4,239,459; reach
     military age (17) annually 133,337 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92/93)