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KOSHER DELIGHT - YOUR JEWISH ONLINE MAGAZINE!
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AUSTRALIA |
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| FLAG
DESCRIPTION: |
| 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 known as the
Commonwealth Star, representing the federation of the colonies of
Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original
states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external
territories; 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 |
| MAP
OF AUSTRALIA: |
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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 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
was able to take advantage of its natural resources in order to
rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and
to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I
and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly
depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of
coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier
Reef. A referendum to
change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the
British monarch to a republic, was defeated in 1999. |
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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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Oceania |
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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: 6.55% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated
grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.41% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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24,000
sq km (1998 est.) |
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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; regular,
tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor"
occurs along the west coast in the summer
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Population:
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19,913,144 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 20.1% (male 2,044,449; female 1,948,574)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 6,747,687; female 6,623,995)
65 years and over: 12.8% (male 1,121,522; female 1,426,917)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
36.3 years
male: 35.5 years
female: 37.1 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.9%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.4 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.38 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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3.98
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.26 years
male: 77.4 years
female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.76 children born/woman (2004 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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Caucasian
92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% |
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Religions:
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Anglican
26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian
11%, other 12.6% |
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Languages:
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English,
native languages |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1980 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
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Government type:
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democratic,
federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign |
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Capital:
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Canberra |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
states and 2 territories; Australian Capital Territory, New South
Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania,
Victoria, Western Australia |
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Dependent areas:
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Ashmore
and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk
Island |
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Independence:
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1
January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) |
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National holiday:
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Australia
Day, 26 January (1788) |
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Constitution:
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9
July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 |
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Legal system:
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based
on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael
JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD
(since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since
20 July 1999)
cabinet: Parliament nominates and selects, from among its
members, a list of candidates to serve as government ministers;
from this list, the governor general swears in the final
selections for the Cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor
general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the
prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as
prime minister by the governor general
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National
Party |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each
of the six states and two from each of the two mainland
territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by
popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (150 seats - this is up from 148 seats in 2001
election; members elected by popular vote on the basis of
preferential representation to serve three-year terms; no state
can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be
held not later than 16 April 2005); House of Representatives -
last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held not later than 16
April 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 34,
Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 7, Green Party 2,
One Nation Party 1, Country Liberal Party 1, independent 3; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 81, Australian
Labor Party 64, Green Party 1, Country Liberal Party 1,
independent and other 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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High
Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by
the governor general) |
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Political parties and
leaders:
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Australian
Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Mark LATHAM];
Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Country Liberal Party
[Paul BUNKER]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John
Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party
[Len HARRIS] |
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Political pressure groups
and leaders:
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Australian
Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement
[leader NA] |
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International organization
participation:
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ANZUS,
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,
C, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF,
Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation
in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation
from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian
Capital Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney |
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Flag description:
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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 known as
the Commonwealth Star, representing the federation of the colonies
of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the
six original states and one representing all of Australia's
internal and external territories; 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
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Economy - overview:
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Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with
a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. Rising output in the domestic economy has been
offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence
remains robust. Australia's emphasis on reforms is another key
factor behind the economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak
foreign demand, and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit
up to $14 billion in 2003 from $5 billion in 2002. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $571.4 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $29,000 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by
sector:
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agriculture:
3.5%
industry: 26.3%
services: 70.2% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24.8% of GDP (2003) |
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Population below poverty
line:
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NA |
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Household income or
consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
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Distribution of family
income - Gini index:
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35.2
(1994) |
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Inflation rate (consumer
prices):
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2.8% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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10.19 million (37256) |
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Labor force - by
occupation:
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agriculture 5%, industry 22%, services 73% (1997 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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6% (2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$185 billion
expenditures: $181 billion, including capital expenditures
of NA (2003) |
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Public debt:
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18.2% of GDP (2003) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat,
barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry |
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Industries:
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mining,
industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,
chemicals, steel |
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Industrial production
growth rate:
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-0.1% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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198.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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184.4 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0
kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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731,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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523,400 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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530,800 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved
reserves:
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2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$-30.14 billion (2003) |
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Exports:
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$68.67 billion (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coal,
gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment |
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Exports - partners:
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Japan
18.1%, US 8.7%, China 8.4%, South Korea 7.4%, New Zealand 7.4%, UK
6.7% (2003 est.) |
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Imports:
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$82.91 billion (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and transport equipment, computers and office machines,
telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum
products |
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Imports - partners:
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US
16%, Japan 12.5%, China 11%, Germany 6.1%, UK 4.2% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign
exchange & gold:
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$33.26 billion (2003) |
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Debt - external:
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$233.5 billion (2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA,
$894 million (FY99/00) |
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Currency:
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Australian
dollar (AUD) |
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Currency code:
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AUD |
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Exchange rates:
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Australian
dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334
(2001), 1.7248 (2000), 1.55 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1
July - 30 June
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Telephones - main lines in
use:
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10.815 million (2003) |
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Telephones - mobile
cellular:
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14.347 million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of
radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of
mobile cellular telephones
international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations
- 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat
(Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM
262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) |
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Television broadcast
stations:
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104
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.au |
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Internet hosts:
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2,847,763 (2003) |
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Internet users:
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9.472 million
(2002)
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