3 definitions found
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
Australia
n 1: a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent;
aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from
southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were
British convicts sent there as a penal colony [syn: {Australia},
{Commonwealth of Australia}]
2: the smallest continent; between the South Pacific and the
Indian Ocean [syn: {Australia}]
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
AUSTRALIA, n. A country lying in the South Sea, whose industrial and
commercial development has been unspeakably retarded by an unfortunate
dispute among geographers as to whether it is a continent or an
island.
From The CIA World Factbook (1995) [world95]:
Australia
Australia:Geography
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean
Map references: Oceania
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: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic 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 natural fresh
water resources
natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification
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
Australia:People
Population: 18,322,231 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (female 1,929,366; male 2,032,238)
15-64 years: 67% (female 6,017,362; male 6,181,887)
65 years and over: 11% (female 1,227,004; male 934,374) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.31% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 14.13 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.37 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.78 years
male: 74.67 years
female: 81.04 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1995 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)
Australia:Government
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)
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 HOWARD; 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, CP EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 8, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO MTCR, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OECD PCA, SPARTECA SPC, SPF, UN UNCTAD UNESCO, UNFICYP
UNHCR UNIDO UNOSOM UNTSO UNU, UPU, WFTU WHO WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Eric RUSSELL
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward J. 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. Growth picked up so
strongly in 1994 that the government felt the need for fiscal and
monetary tightening by yearend. Australia's GDP grew 6.4% in 1994,
largely due to increases in industrial output and business investment.
A severe drought in 1994 is expected to reduce the value of
Australia's net farm production by $825 million in the twelve months
through June 1995, but rising world commodity prices are likely to
boost rural exports by 7.7% to $14.5 billion in 1995/96, according to
government statistics.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $374.6 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 6.4% (1994)
National product per capita: $20,720 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 8.9% (December 1994)
Budget:
revenues: $83.8 billion
expenditures: $92.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY93/94)
Exports: $50.4 billion (1994)
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: $51.1 billion (1994)
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: $147.2 billion (1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.9% (FY93/94); accounts for 32% of
GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 34,540,000 kW
production: 155 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 8,021 kWh (1993)
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 - 1.3058 (January
1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991),
1.2799 (1990)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Australia:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 40,478 km (1,130 km electrified; 183 km dual gauge)
broad gauge: 7,970 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 16,201 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 16,307 km 1.067-m gauge
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 (Tasmania), Launceton (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne,
Sydney, Townsville
Merchant marine:
total: 81 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,620,536 GRT/3,801,970
DWT
ships by type: bulk 30, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk
2, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 6, oil tanker 18,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 1
Airports:
total: 480
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 9
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 128
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 125
with paved runways under 914 m: 31
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 23
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 149
Australia:Communications
Telephone system: 8,700,000 telephones; good international and
domestic service
local: NA
intercity: domestic satellite service
international: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and
Indonesia; 10 INTELSAT (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean) earth
stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 258, FM 67, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 134
televisions: NA
Australia:Defense Forces
Branches: Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air
Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,934,175; males fit for
military service 4,274,900; males reach military age (17) annually
131,852 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $7.2 billion, 2.2% of
GDP (FY94/95)
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