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Background:
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Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequest droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
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Location:
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Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
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Geographic coordinates:
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27 00 S, 133 00 E
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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25,760 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
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Terrain:
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mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
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Land use:
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arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.81% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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25,450 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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398 cu km (1995)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%)
Per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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Geography - note:
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world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world
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Population:
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20,434,176 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 19.3% (male 2,023,375/female 1,929,229)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 6,945,068/female 6,831,653)
65 years and over: 13.2% (male 1,197,494/female 1,507,357) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 37.1 years
male: 36.3 years
female: 38 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.824% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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12.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.56 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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3.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.049 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.794 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.62 years
male: 77.75 years
female: 83.63 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.76 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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14,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian
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Ethnic groups:
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white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
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Religions:
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Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
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Languages:
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English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
