|
Country name: |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
|
Government
type: |
federal parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth
realm |
|
Capital: |
Canberra |
|
Administrative
divisions: |
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital
Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*,
Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria,
Western Australia |
|
National
holiday: |
Australia Day, 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorated
as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World
War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915) |
|
Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
|
Location: |
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and
the South Pacific Ocean |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
27 00 S, 133 00 E |
|
Map
references: |
Oceania |
|
Area: |
total: 7,741,220 sq km
land: 7,682,300 sq km
water: 58,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie
Island
|
|
Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
|
Land boundaries: |
0 km |
|
Coastline: |
25,760 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
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 |
|
Climate: |
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and
east; tropical in north |
|
Terrain: |
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in
southeast |
|
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
|
Natural
resources: |
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver,
uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead,
zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter
of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports |
|
Land use: |
arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million
hectares of cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.81% (2005)
|
|
GDP - purchasing power parity:
|
$824.3 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
$816.2 billion (2008 est.)
$798.6 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
1%
(2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
2.2% (2008 est.)
4.8% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$38,800 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
$38,900 (2008 est.)
$38,500 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 26%
services: 70% (2009 est.) |
|
Labor force - by
occupation: |
agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 21.1%
services: 75% (2009 est.) |
|
Industries: |
mining, industrial and transportation equipment,
food processing, chemicals, steel |
|
Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep,
poultry |
|
Exports: |
$160.5 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
$189.1 billion (2008 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat,
machinery and transport equipment |
|
Exports
- partners: |
Japan 22.2%, China 14.6%, South Korea 8.2%, India
6.1%, US 5.5%, NZ 4.3%, UK 4.2% (2008) |
|
Imports: |
$163.9 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
$194 billion (2008 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
machinery and transport equipment, computers and
office machines, telecommunication equipment and
parts; crude oil and petroleum products |
|
Imports - partners: |
China 15.4%, US 12.1%, Japan 9.1%, Singapore 7%,
Germany 5.1%, Thailand 4.5%, UK 4.4%, Malaysia 4.1%
(2008) |
|
Currency: |
Australian Dollar |
|
Currency code: |
AUD
|
|
Exchange
rates: |
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2894
(2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006),
1.3095 (2005) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30 June
|
