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Australia
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Commonwealth
of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
| Capital: |
Canberra |
| Location: |
Oceania, continent between the Indian
Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
| Area: |
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 |
| Area - comparative: |
Slightly smaller than the US contiguous
48 states |
| Climate: |
generally arid to semiarid; temperate
in south and east; tropical in north |
| Natural resources: |
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper,
tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands,
lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum |
| Land use |
arable land: 6.15% (includes about
27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.81% (2005) |
| Population: |
20,264,082 (July 2006 est.) |
| Population growth
rate: |
0.85% (2006 est.) |
| Languages: |
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian
1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can
read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
| Economy - overview: |
Australia has an enviable Western-style
capitalist economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four
dominant West European economies. Rising output in the domestic
economy, robust business and consumer confidence, and rising
exports of raw materials and agricultural products are fueling
the economy. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low inflation,
and growing ties with China are other key factors behind the
economy's strength. The impact of drought, weak foreign demand,
and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up from $8
billion in 2002, to $18 billion in 2003, $13 billion in 2004,
and nearly $17 billion in 2005. Housing prices probably peaked
in 2005, diminishing the prospect that interest rates would
be raised to prevent a speculative bubble. Conservative fiscal
policies have kept Australia's budget in surplus from 2002 to
2005. |
| GDP (purchasing
power parity): |
$640.1 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official
exchange rate): |
$612.8 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth
rate: |
2.5% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita
(PPP): |
$31,900 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - composition
by sector: |
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 26.2%
services: 70% (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
2.7% (2005 est.) |
| Investment (gross
fixed): |
25.9% of GDP (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture -
products: |
wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits,
cattle, sheep, poultry |
| Industries: |
mining, industrial and transportation
equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel |
| Industrial production
growth rate: |
1.1% (2005 est.) |
| Exports: |
$103 billion (2005 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: |
coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina,
iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment |
| Exports - partners: |
Japan 20.7%, China 12.5%, South
Korea 7.4%, NZ 6.6%, US 6.6%, India 4.8% (2005) |
| Imports: |
$119.6 billion (2005 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: |
machinery and transport equipment,
computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and
parts; crude oil and petroleum products |
| Imports - partners: |
US 13.9%, China 11.9%, Japan 11%,
Singapore 6.2%, Germany 5.6%, Malaysia 4% (2005) |
| Currency (code): |
Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Currency code: |
AUD |
| Fiscal year: |
1 July - 30 June |
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