@node Geography (Australia)
@section Geography (Australia)

@display

Location:
  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 km2
 land area:
  7,617,930 km2
 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 km2 (1989 est.)
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



@end display

@node People (Australia)
@section People (Australia)

@display

Population:
  17,827,204 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.41% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  14.43 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  7.38 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  7.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  77.36 years
 male:   74.24 years
 female:
  80.63 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.83 children born/woman (1993 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)
 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)



@end display

@node Government (Australia)
@section Government (Australia)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Commonwealth of Australia
 conventional short form:
  Australia
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)
Constitution:   9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system:
  based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
National holiday:
  Australia Day, 26 January
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
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)
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Elections:
 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
 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
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



@end display

@node Government (Australia 2. usage)
@section Government (Australia 2. usage)

@display

Leaders:
 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)
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
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
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
 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



@end display

@node Economy (Australia)
@section Economy (Australia)

@display

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.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $293.5 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
  2.5% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $16,700 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0.8% (September 1992)
Unemployment rate:
  11.3% (December 1992)
Budget:
  revenues $68.5 billion; expenditures $78.0 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $NA (FY93)
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
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)
External debt:
  $130.4 billion (June 1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for 32% of GDP
Electricity:
  40,000,000 kW capacity; 150,000 million kWh produced, 8,475 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals,
  steel
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
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



@end display

@node Economy (Australia 2. usage)
@section Economy (Australia 2. usage)

@display

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)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (Australia)
@section Communications (Australia)

@display

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:
  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
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
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



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Australia)
@section Defense Forces (Australia)

@display

Branches:
  Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
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.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92/93)



@end display