Australia

Find a country's flag, map or national anthem here. Click on a letter to find the country:

Australia

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Commonwealth of Australia Area 7,682,850 sq km/2,966,136 sq mi Capital Canberra Language English (official), Aboriginal languages Religion Anglican 26%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24% Time difference GMT +8/10 Major holidays 1 January, 25 April, 25–26 December (except South Australia); variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Holy Saturday; additional days vary between states


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Adelaide, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Hobart, Newcastle, Wollongong Physical features Ayers Rock; Arnhem Land; Gulf of Carpentaria; Cape York Peninsula; Great Australian Bight; Great Sandy Desert; Gibson Desert; Great Victoria Desert; Simpson Desert; the Great Barrier Reef; Great Dividing Range and Australian Alps in the east (Mount Kosciusko, 2,229 m/7,136 ft, Australia's highest peak). The fertile southeast region is watered by the Darling, Lachlan, Murrumbridgee, and Murray rivers. Lake Eyre basin and Nullarbor Plain in the south Territories Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory Airports ten principal international airports; domestic services to all major resorts and cities; total passengers carried: 41.4 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 41,286 km/25,654 mi; total passenger journeys: 629.2 million (2003) Roads total road network: 913,000 km/567,338 mi, of which 38.7% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 633.8 per 1,000 people (1998 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Queen Elizabeth II from 1952, represented by Governor General Michael Jeffery from 2003 Head of government John Howard from 1996 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions six states and three territories Political parties Australian Labor Party, moderate left of centre; Liberal Party of Australia, moderate, liberal, free enterprise; National Party of Australia (formerly Country Party), centrist non-metropolitan; Australian Democratic Party (AD), liberal, moderately left wing; One Nation (ON), right-wing racist and anti-immigrant Death penalty abolished in 1985 Armed forces 52,000; plus 20,800 reserves (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 1.9 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.9 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Australian dollar GDP (US$) 700.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.1 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 654.6 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 30,610 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.8% (2006 est) Unemployment 5% (2006 est) Labour force 3.6% agriculture, 21.1% industry, 75.3% services (2005) Major trading partners Japan, EU, ASEAN, China, USA Resources coal, iron ore (world's third-largest producer), bauxite, copper, zinc (world's second-largest producer), nickel (world's fifth-largest producer), uranium, gold, diamonds Industries mining, metal products, textiles, wood and paper products, chemical products, electrical machinery, transport equipment, printing, publishing and recording media, tourism, electronic communications Exports major world producer of raw materials: iron ore, aluminium, coal, nickel, zinc, lead, gold, tin, tungsten, uranium, crude oil, manufactured goods, rural goods, including wool, meat, cereals, fruit, sugar, wine. Principal market: Japan 19.7% (2005) Imports processed industrial supplies, transport equipment and parts, road vehicles, petroleum and petroleum products, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, organic chemicals, consumer goods. Principal source: EU 23.5% (2005) Arable land 6.2% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, barley, oats, rice, sugar cane, fruit, grapes; livestock (cattle and sheep) and dairy products


POPULATION

Population 20,366,300 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 3 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 93 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 20%, 15–59 63%, 60+ 17% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 92% of European descent; 7% Asian, 1% Aborigine and other Life expectancy 79 (men); 83 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 6 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 11 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 25 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 7.9 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <500 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 56.9 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 91.4 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 1,999 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 665 (2005 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 68.9 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 70.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

c. 40,000 BC Aboriginal immigration from southern India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. AD 1606 First recorded sightings of Australia by Europeans, including discovery of Cape York by Dutch explorer Willem Jansz in Duyfken. 1770 Capt James Cook claimed New South Wales for Britain. 1788 Sydney founded as British penal colony. late 18th–19th centuries Great age of exploration. 1804 Castle Hill Rising by Irish convicts in New South Wales. 1813 Crossing of Blue Mountains removed major barrier to exploration of interior. 1825 Tasmania seceded from New South Wales. 1829 Western Australia colonized. 1836 South Australia colonized. 1840–68 End of convict transportation. 1850 British Act of Parliament permitted Australian colonies to draft their own constitutions and achieve virtual self-government. 1851–61 Gold rushes contributed to exploration and economic growth. 1851 Victoria seceded from New South Wales. 1855 Victoria achieved self-government. 1856 New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania achieved self-government. 1859 Queensland was formed from New South Wales and achieved self-government. 1890 Western Australia achieved self-government. 1891 Depression gave rise to the Australian Labor Party. 1901 The Commonwealth of Australia was created. 1919 Australia was given mandates over Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. 1927 The seat of federal government moved to Canberra. 1931 Statute of Westminster confirmed Australian independence. 1933 Western Australia's vote to secede was overruled. 1948–75 Influx of around 2 million new immigrants, chiefly from continental Europe. 1967 Referendum gave Australian Aborigines full citizenship rights. 1970s Japan became Australia's chief trading partner. 1974 ‘White Australia’ immigration restrictions abolished. 1975 Papua New Guinea became independent. 1978 Northern Territory achieved self-government. 1986 The Australia Act passed by British Parliament, eliminating last vestiges of British legal authority in Australia. 1988 Free Trade Agreement signed with New Zealand. 1992 The Citizenship Act removed the oath of allegiance to the British crown. 1998 John Howard's Liberal–National coalition government re-elected. 1999 Australians voted to keep British queen as head of state, rather than become a republic. 2000 Torrential rains in much of eastern Australia caused widespread flooding in rural areas. 2001 Ruling Liberal Party lost two state elections as economy suffered sharp slowdown. 2003 Australia deployed troops to the Gulf ahead of possible war, sparking protests. Devastating bushfires threatened Canberra and Sydney. 2004 Parliament cleared government of intelligence failures and lies about threat posed by weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Howard won fourth term as prime minister. 2005 Nine people killed in worst bushfires for 20 years. Government announced deployment of 150 troops to Afghanistan; earlier contingent withdrawn in 2002; further deployments announced in 2006. 2006 Australia and East Timor signed deal to share multi-billion-dollar profits in Timor Sea's oil and gas deposits. Australian troops led peacekeeping forces to counter unrest in Solomon Islands and East Timor. Economic growth forecasts slashed as the country suffered worst drought in a century. 2007 Historic security pact signed with Japan to increase regional security, cooperation in fight against terrorism, and joint disaster relief operations. Bruce Trevorrow became first of Aboriginal Stolen Generations to win compensation; he was awarded A$525,000 for false imprisonment.


© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.