Australia Population: 23,470,145
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| History | |
| Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 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 of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). 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 Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include an aging population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. |
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| Geography | |
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| Location: | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
| Geographic coordinates: | 27 00 S, 133 00 E |
| 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 Size comparison: slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 25,760 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm contiguous zone: 24 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 |
| Natural resources: | alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, 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: | agricultural land: 52.9% (2016 est.) arable land: 11.6% (2016 est.) permanent crops: 0.09% (2016 est.) permanent pasture: 88.4% (2016 est.) forest: 16.2% (2016 est.) other: 30.9% (2016 est.) |
| Irrigated land: | 25,460 sq km (2014) |
| Natural hazards: | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands |
| Current Environment Issues: | soil erosion from overgrazing, deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; limited natural freshwater resources; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; drought, desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; disruption of the fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions; 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; overfishing, pollution, and invasive species are also problems |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
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| Nationality: | noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian |
| Ethnic groups: | English 25.9%, Australian 25.4%, Irish 7.5%, Scottish 6.4%, Italian 3.3%, German 3.2%, Chinese 3.1%, Indian 1.4%, Greek 1.4%, Dutch 1.2%, other 15.8% (includes Australian aboriginal .5%), unspecified 5.4% (2011 est.) note: data represent self-identified ancestry, over a third of respondents reported two ancestries |
| Languages: | English 72.7%, Mandarin 2.5%, Arabic 1.4%, Cantonese 1.2%, Vietnamese 1.2%, Italian 1.2%, Greek 1%, other 14.8%, unspecified 6.5% (2016 est.) note: data represent language spoken at home |
| Religions: | Protestant 23.1% (Anglican 13.3%, Uniting Church 3.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 2.3%, Baptist 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.1%, Lutheran .7%, other Protestant .5%), Roman Catholic 22.6%, other Christian 4.2%, Muslim 2.6%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%, Oriental Orthodox .2%), Hindu 1.9%, other 1.3%, none 30.1%, unspecified 9.6% (2016 est.) |
| Population: | 23,470,145 (July 2018 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.75% (male 2,138,080 /female 2,027,583) 15-24 years: 12.62% (male 1,520,528 /female 1,442,461) 25-54 years: 41.35% (male 4,944,587 /female 4,760,752) 55-64 years: 11.84% (male 1,379,681 /female 1,398,177) 65 years and over: 16.44% (male 1,786,595 /female 2,071,701) (2018 est.) |
| Dependency ratios: | total dependency ratio: 51.1 (2015 est.) youth dependency ratio: 28.5 (2015 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 22.6 (2015 est.) potential support ratio: 4.4 (2015 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 38.8 years male: 38.1 years female: 39.7 years (2018 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.01% (2018 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 12 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 5.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
| Urbanization: | urban population: 86% of total population (2018) rate of urbanization: 1.43% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) note: data include Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island |
| Major urban areas - population: | 4.792 million Sydney 4.771 million Melbourne 2.338 million Brisbane 1.991 million Perth 1.32 million Adelaide 423,000 CANBERRA (capital) (2018) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2018 est.) Mother's mean age at first birth: 28.7 years (2014 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate: | 6 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 82.4 years male: 79.9 years female: 85 years (2018 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.77 children born/woman (2018 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate: | 66.9% (2015/16) note: percent of women aged 18-45 |
| Physicians density: | 3.59 physicians/1,000 population (2016) |
| Hospital bed density: | 3.8 beds/1,000 population (2014) |
| Drinking water source: | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access: | improved: urban: 100% of population (2015 est.) rural: 100% of population (2015 est.) total: 100% of population (2015 est.) unimproved: urban: 0% of population (2015 est.) rural: 0% of population (2015 est.) total: 0% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2017 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 26,000 (2017 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | <200 (2017 est.) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate: | 29% (2016) |
| Education expenditures: | 5.3% of GDP (2015) |
| Literacy: | |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): | total: 23 years male: 23 years female: 23 years (2016) Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 12.6% male: 13.6% female: 11.5% (2017 est.) |
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| Government | |
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| Country name: | conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia etymology: the name Australia derives from the Latin "australis" meaning "southern"; the Australian landmass was long referred to as "Terra Australis" or the Southern Land |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy (Federal Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital: | name: Canberra geographic coordinates: 35 16 S, 149 08 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April etymolgy: the name is claimed to derive from either Kambera or Camberry, which are names corrupted from the original native designation for the area "Nganbra" or "Nganbira" note: Australia has four time zones, including Lord Howe Island (UTC+10:30) |
| 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 (from the federation of UK colonies) |
| National holiday: | Australia Day (commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers), 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorates 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) |
| Constitution: | history: approved in a series of referenda 1898 through 1900, became law 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires approval of a referendum bill by absolute majority vote in both houses of Parliament, approval in a referendum by a majority of voters in at least four states and in the territories, and Royal Assent; proposals that would reduce a state’s representation in either house or change a state’s boundaries require that state’s approval prior to Royal Assent; amended several times, last in 1977 (2017) |
| Legal system: | common law system based on the English model |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General David HURLEY (since 1 July 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Scott MORRISON (since 24 August 2018) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and sworn in by the governor general elections/appointments: the monarchy 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 majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general |
| Legislative branch: | description: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of: Senate (76 seats; 12 members from each of the 6 states and 2 each from the 2 mainland territories; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of state membership renewed every 3 years and territory membership renewed every 3 years) House of Representatives (151 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by majority preferential vote; members serve terms of up to 3 years) elections: Senate - last held on 18 May 2019 (next to be held in 2022) House of Representatives - last held on 18 May 2019 (next to be held in 2022) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - Liberal/National coalition 37.99%, ALP 28.79%, The Greens 10.19%, One Nation 5.4%, Centre Alliance .19%, Lambie Network .21%, other 17.23%; seats by party - Liberal/National coalition 35, ALP 26, The Greens 9, One Nation 2, Centre Alliance 2, Lambie Network 1, independents 1 House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Liberal/National coalition 41.4%, ALP 33.3%, The Greens 10.4%, Katter's Australian Party .49%, Centre Alliance .33%, independents 3.37%, other 10.63%; seats by party - Liberal/National Coalition 77, ALP 68, The Greens 1, Katter's Australian Party 1, Centre Alliance 1, independent 3 |
| Judicial branch: | highest courts: High Court of Australia (consists of 7 justices, including the chief justice); note - each of the 6 states, 2 territories, and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court; the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: subordinate courts: subordinate courts at the federal level: Federal Court; Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia; Family Court; subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts – Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory; District Courts – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia; County Court – Victoria; Family Court – Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island |
| Political parties and leaders: | Australian Greens Party [Richard DI NATALE] Australian Labor Party or ALP [Anthony ALBANESE] Country Liberal Party or CLP [Gary HIGGINS] Liberal National Party of Queensland or LNP [Deborah FRECKLINGTON] Liberal Party of Australia [Scott MORRISON] The Nationals [Michael MCCORMACK] Centre Alliance [Nick XENOPHON] Pauline Hanson’s One Nation [Pauline HANSON] |
| International organization participation: | ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CP, EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-20, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF, SAARC (observer), SICA (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| National symbol(s): | Commonwealth Star (seven-pointed Star of Federation), golden wattle tree (Acacia pycnantha Benth), kangaroo, emu; national colors: green, gold |
| National anthem: | name: Advance Australia Fair lyrics/music: Peter Dodds McCORMICK note: adopted 1984; although originally written in the late 19th century, the anthem was not used for all official occasions until 1984; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph Benedict HOCKEY (since 28 January 2016) chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Arthur B. CULVAHOUSE (since 19 February 2019) 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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| Economy | |
Australia is an open market with minimal restrictions on imports of goods and services. The process of opening up has increased productivity, stimulated growth, and made the economy more flexible and dynamic. Australia plays an active role in the WTO, APEC, the G20, and other trade forums. Australia’s free trade agreement (FTA) with China entered into force in 2015, adding to existing FTAs with the Republic of Korea, Japan, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and the US, and a regional FTA with ASEAN and New Zealand. Australia continues to negotiate bilateral agreements with Indonesia, as well as larger agreements with its Pacific neighbors and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and an Asia-wide Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that includes the 10 ASEAN countries and China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and India. Australia is a significant exporter of natural resources, energy, and food. Australia's abundant and diverse natural resources attract high levels of foreign investment and include extensive reserves of coal, iron, copper, gold, natural gas, uranium, and renewable energy sources. A series of major investments, such as the US$40 billion Gorgon Liquid Natural Gas Project, will significantly expand the resources sector. For nearly two decades up till 2017, Australia had benefited from a dramatic surge in its terms of trade. As export prices increased faster than import prices, the economy experienced continuous growth, low unemployment, contained inflation, very low public debt, and a strong and stable financial system. Australia entered 2018 facing a range of growth constraints, principally driven by the sharp fall in global prices of key export commodities. Demand for resources and energy from Asia and especially China is growing at a slower pace and sharp drops in export prices have impacted growth. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $1.248 trillion (2017 est.) $1.221 trillion (2016 est.) $1.19 trillion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $1.38 trillion (2017 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 2.2% (2017 est.) 2.6% (2016 est.) 2.5% (2015 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $50,400 (2017 est.) $50,100 (2016 est.) $49,600 (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
| Gross national saving: | 21% of GDP (2017 est.) 20.5% of GDP (2016 est.) 21.5% of GDP (2015 est.) GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 56.9% (2017 est.) government consumption: 18.4% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 24.1% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 21.5% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -21% (2017 est.) GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 3.6% (2017 est.) industry: 25.3% (2017 est.) services: 71.2% (2017 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry |
| Industries: | mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 1.4% (2017 est.) |
| Labor force: | 12.91 million (2017 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 3.6% industry: 21.1% services: 75.3% (2009 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 5.6% (2017 est.) 5.7% (2016 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | n/a |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 30.3 (2008) 35.2 (1994) |
| Budget: | revenues: 490 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 496.9 billion (2017 est.) |
| Taxes and other revenues: | 35.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.) Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -0.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
| Public debt: | 40.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 40.6% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2% (2017 est.) 1.3% (2016 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$36.01 billion (2017 est.) -$41.45 billion (2016 est.) |
| Exports: | $231.6 billion (2017 est.) $191.7 billion (2016 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | iron ore, coal, gold, natural gas, beef, aluminum ores and conc, wheat, meat (excluding beef), wool, alumina, alcohol |
| Exports - partners: | China 33.5%, Japan 14.6%, South Korea 6.6%, India 5%, Hong Kong 4% (2017) |
| Imports: | $221 billion (2017 est.) $198.7 billion (2016 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | motor vehicles, refined petroleum, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude petroleum, medicaments, goods vehicles, gold, computers |
| Imports - partners: | China 22.9%, US 10.8%, Japan 7.5%, Thailand 5.1%, Germany 4.9%, South Korea 4.5% (2017) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $66.58 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $55.07 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $1.714 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.547 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $700.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $617.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $509.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $441.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $1.187 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $1.289 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $1.366 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) |
| Exchange rates: | Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.311 (2017 est.) 1.3442 (2016 est.) 1.3442 (2015 est.) 1.3291 (2014 est.) 1.1094 (2013 est.) |
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| Energy | |
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| Electricity - production: | 243 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 229.4 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity: | 65.56 million kW (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels: | 72% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) |
| Electricity - from nuclear fuels: | 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants: | 11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources: | 17% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
| Crude oil - production: | 263,000 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Crude oil - exports: | 192,500 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Crude oil - imports: | 341,700 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Crude oil - proved reserves: | 1.821 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - production: | 462,500 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption: | 1.175 million bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - exports: | 64,120 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Refined petroleum products - imports: | 619,600 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 105.2 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 45.25 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 67.96 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 5.776 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.989 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.) |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: | 439.1 million Mt (2017 est.) |
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| Communications | |
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| Cellular Phones in use: | total subscriptions: 27.553 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 119 (2017 est.) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent domestic and international service; domestic satellite system; significant use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile telephones; 5G technologies in preparation and anticipation for 2020 (2018) domestic: more subscribers to mobile services than there are people; 90% of all mobile device sales are now smartphones, growth in mobile traffic brisk; 36 per 100 fixed-line, 119 per 100 mobile-cellular (2018) international: country code - 61; landing points for more than 20 submarine cables including: the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the INDIGO-Central, INDIGO West and ASC, North West Cable System, Australia-Papua New Guinea cable, CSCS, PPC-1, Gondwana-1, SCCN, Hawaiki, TGA, Basslink, Bass Strait-1, Bass Strait-2, JGA-S, with links to other Australian cities, New Zealand and many countries in southeast Asia, US and Europe; the H2 Cable, AJC, Telstra Endeavor, Southern Cross NEXT with links to Japan, Hong Kong, and other Pacific Ocean countries as well as the US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat, 2 Globalstar, 5 other (2019) |
| Broadcast media: | the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) runs multiple national and local radio networks and TV stations, as well as Australia Network, a TV service that broadcasts throughout the Asia-Pacific region and is the main public broadcaster; Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), a second large public broadcaster, operates radio and TV networks broadcasting in multiple languages; several large national commercial TV networks, a large number of local commercial TV stations, and hundreds of commercial radio stations are accessible; cable and satellite systems are available |
| Internet country code: | .au |
| Internet users: | total: 20,288,409 percent of population: 88.2% (July 2016 est.) |
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| Transportation | |
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| Airports: | 480 (2013) |
| Airports (paved runways): | total 349 (2017) over 3,047 m: 11 (2017) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 14 (2017) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 155 (2017) 914 to 1,523 m: 155 (2017) under 914 m: 14 (2017) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total 131 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 101 (2013) under 914 m: 14 (2013) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2013) |
| Pipelines: | 637 km condensate/gas, 30054 km gas, 240 km liquid petroleum gas, 3609 km oil, 110 km oil/gas/water, 72 km refined products (2013) |
| Railways: | total 33,343 km (2015) standard gauge: 17,446 km 1.435-m gauge (650 km electrified) (2015) narrow gauge: 12,318 km 1.067-m gauge (2,075.5 km electrified) (2015) broad gauge: 3,247 km 1.600-m gauge (372 km electrified) (2015) |
| Roadways: | total 873,573 km (2015) urban: 145,928 km (2015) non-urban: 727,645 km (2015) |
| Waterways: | 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling River systems) (2011) |
| Merchant marine: | total 563 by type: bulk carrier 4, general cargo 84, oil tanker 7, other 468 (2018) |
| Ports and terminals: | major seaport(s): Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Fremantle, Geelong, Gladstone, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Adelaide, Port Kembla, Sydney container port(s) (TEUs): Melbourne (2,806,436), Sydney (2,530,122) (2017) LNG terminal(s) (export): Darwin, Karratha, Burrup, Curtis Island dry bulk cargo port(s): Dampier (iron ore), Dalrymple Bay (coal), Hay Point (coal), Port Hedland (iron ore), Port Walcott (iron ore) |
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| Military | |
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| Military branches: | Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army (includes Special Operations Command), Royal Australian Navy (includes Naval Aviation Force), Royal Australian Air Force, Joint Operations Command (JOC) (2016) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in most combat roles (2018) |
| Military expenditures: | 2% of GDP (2016) 1.98% of GDP (2015) 1.8% of GDP (2014) 1.68% of GDP (2013) 1.7% of GDP (2012) |
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| Transnational Issues | |
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| Disputes - International: | In 2007, Australia and Timor-Leste agreed to a 50-year development zone and revenue sharing arrangement and deferred a maritime boundary; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica; Australia's 2004 submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf extends its continental margins over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its seabed roughly 30 percent beyond its claimed EEZ; all borders between Indonesia and Australia have been agreed upon bilaterally, but a 1997 treaty that would settle the last of their maritime and EEZ boundary has yet to be ratified by Indonesia's legislature; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 11,932 (Afghanistan), 10,702 (Iran), 5,061 (Pakistan) (2018) stateless persons: 132 (2018) |
| 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; major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines |
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