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NAVIGATION
Commonwealth of Australia
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources 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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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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
water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island land: 7,617,930 sq km |
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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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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 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: 6.88%
permanent crops: 0.03% other: 93.09% (1998 est.) |
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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, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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19,546,792 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.4% (male 2,046,052; female 1,949,725)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,610,840; female 6,480,354) 65 years and over: 12.6% (male 1,078,506; female 1,381,315) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.96% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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12.71 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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4.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80 years
female: 83 years (2002 est.) male: 77.15 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.15% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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14,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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100 (1999 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.) |