283 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
283 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
AUSTRALIA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes
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Macquarie Island
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 25,760 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 3 nm
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Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic
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Territory)
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Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east;
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tropical in north
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Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in
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southeast
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Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver,
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uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural
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gas, crude oil
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Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along
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coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation;
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regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs
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along west coast in summer; desertification
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Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country
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PEOPLE
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Population: 17,288,044 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)
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Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Australian(s); adjective--Australian
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Ethnic divisions: Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other
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1%
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Religion: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian
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24.3%
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Language: English, native languages
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Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1980 est.)
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Labor force: 7,700,000; finance and services 33.8%, public and
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community services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing
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and industry 16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987)
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Organized labor: 42% of labor force (1988)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Commonwealth of Australia
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Type: federal parliamentary state
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Capital: Canberra
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Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
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Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
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South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
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Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
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Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
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Islands, Norfolk Island
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Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
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Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
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Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29
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January 1990
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Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
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minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an
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upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
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Judicial branch: High Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952),
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represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February
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1989);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since
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11 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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government--Australian Labor Party, Robert James Lee HAWKE;
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opposition--Liberal Party, John HEWSON;
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National Party, Timothy FISCHER;
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Australian Democratic Party, Janet POWELL
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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Senate--last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by July 1993);
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results--Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%,
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independents 2%;
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seats--(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian
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Democrats 7, independents 3;
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House of Representatives--last held 24 March 1990 (next to be
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held by November 1993);
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results--Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats
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and independents 11.1%;
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seats--(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1
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Communists: 4,000 members (est.)
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Other political or pressure groups: Australian Democratic Labor
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Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear
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Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
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Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CP,
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EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, G-8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA,
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IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
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ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
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WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at
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1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202)
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797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu,
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Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San
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Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla,
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Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San
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Francisco 96404); telephone 61 (6) 270-5000; there are US Consulates
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General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane
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Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant
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and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the
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remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in
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white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed
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stars
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist
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economy, with a per capita GNP comparable to levels in industrialized
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West European countries. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major
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exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels.
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Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that, as happened
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during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big
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impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports
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of manufactured goods but competition in international markets will be
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severe.
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GDP: $255.9 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 2.2%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (December 1990)
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Unemployment rate: 9.2% (March 1991)
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Budget: revenues $74.2 billion; expenditures $67.9 billion,
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including capital expenditures of NA (FY90)
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Exports: $39.8 billion (f.o.b., FY90);
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commodities--metals, minerals, coal, wool, cereals, meat,
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manufacturers;
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partners--Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%,
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UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong
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Imports: $42.0 billion (f.o.b., FY90);
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commodities--manufactured raw materials, capital equipment,
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consumer goods;
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partners--US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990)
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External debt: $123.7 billion (September 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 1.8% (1990); accounts for
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32% of GDP
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Electricity: 38,000,000 kW capacity; 150,000 million kWh produced,
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8,860 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food
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processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles
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Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues;
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world's largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton,
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and among top wheat exporters; major crops--wheat, barley, sugarcane,
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fruit; livestock--cattle, sheep, poultry
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Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4
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billion
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Currency: Australian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Australian dollar
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($A) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.2834 (January
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1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905
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(1986), 1.4269 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km
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1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual
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gauge; 1,130 km electrified; government owned (except for a few hundred
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kilometers of privately owned track) (1985)
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Highways: 837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel,
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crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft
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Pipelines: crude oil, 2,500 km; refined products, 500 km; natural
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gas, 5,600 km
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Ports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle,
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Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
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Merchant marine: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,249,926
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GRT/3,391,323 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 6 cargo, 6 container,
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10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 16 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 1
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combination ore/oil, 30 bulk
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Civil air: around 150 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 747 total, 524 usable; 270 with permanent-surface
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runways, 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 17 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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401 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: good international and domestic service; 8.7
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million telephones; stations--258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to
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New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service;
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satellite stations--4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
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earth stations
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian
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Air Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,689,559; 4,090,921 fit for
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military service; 135,435 reach military age (17) annually
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Defense expenditures: $6.6 billion, 2.2% of GDP (FY90)
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