]! ^! 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 territorial 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 took 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. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990's, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980's. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. 
]" ^" Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean ^# 27 00 S, 133 00 E ^$ Oceania ^% `! 7,686,850 sq km `" 7,617,930 sq km `# 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island ^& slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states ^' 0 km ^( 25,760 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 24 nm `I 200 nm `J 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin ^* generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north ^+ mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast ^, `% Lake Eyre -15 m `& Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m ^- bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum ^. `' 6.55% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) `( 0.04% `) 93.41% (2001) ^/ 24,000 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires ^1 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 _J `K 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 `L Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol ^2 world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating tropical sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world 
]# ^3 20,090,437 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 19.8% (male 2,038,809/female 1,943,563) `+ 67.2% (male 6,815,600/female 6,695,189) `, 12.9% (male 1,145,274/female 1,452,002) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 36.56 years `- 35.74 years `. 37.4 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.87% (2005 est.) ^7 12.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 7.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 3.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.05 male(s)/female `+ 1.02 male(s)/female `, 0.79 male(s)/female `1 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births `- 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births `. 4.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 80.39 years `- 77.52 years `. 83.4 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.76 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.1% (2003 est.) ^? 14,000 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Australian(s) `3 Australian ^B Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% ^C Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census) ^D English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 100% `- 100% `. 100% (1980 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Commonwealth of Australia `5 Australia ^H democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign ^I Canberra ^J 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia _f Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island ^K 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) ^L Australia Day, 26 January (1788) ^M 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 ^N based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `6 Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003) `7 Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005) `8 Prime Minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the Governor General to serve as government ministers `9 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 ^Q 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 state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than five representatives) `9 Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007) `: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party (for session beginning on 1 July 2005) - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor Party 28, Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor Party 60, independents 3 ^R High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) ^S Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE]; One Nation Party [Len HARRIS]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING] ^U 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, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO, ZC ^V `N Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY `O 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 `P [1] (202) 797-3000 `Q [1] (202) 797-3168 `R Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco ^W `N William A. STANTON, Charge d'Affaires ad interim `Z Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 `[ APO AP 96549 `P [61] (02) 6214-5600 `Q [61] (02) 6214-5970 `R Melbourne, Perth, Sydney ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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, and to $13 billion in 2004. One other concern is the rapid increase in domestic housing prices, which have raised the prospect that interest rates will need to be raised to prevent a speculative bubble. ^Z $611.7 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 3.5% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $30,700 (2004 est.) ^] `; 3.4% `< 28.2% `= 68.4% (2004 est.) ^^ 10.35 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 3.6%, industry 26.4%, services 70% (2004 est.) ^` 5.1% (December 2004 est.) ^a NA _! `> 2% `? 25.4% (1994) _d 35.2 (1994) _" 2.3% (2004 est.) _P 25.3% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $222.7 billion `A $221.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _Q 17.4% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry _% mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel _& 1.9% (2004 est.) _' 210.3 billion kWh (2002) _( 195.6 billion kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 537,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) _, 796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- 523,400 bbl/day (2001) _. 530,800 bbl/day (2001) _R 3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002) _S 33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.) _T 23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.) _U 9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.) _V 0 cu m (2001 est.) _W 2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-38.3 billion (2004 est.) _/ $86.89 billion (2004 est.) _0 coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment _1 Japan 18.6%, China 9.2%, US 8.1%, South Korea 7.7%, New Zealand 7.4%, India 4.6%, UK 4.2% (2004) _2 $98.1 billion (2004 est.) _3 machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products _4 US 14.8%, China 12.7%, Japan 11.8%, Germany 5.8%, Singapore 4.4%, UK 4.1% (2004) _Y $35.14 billion (2004 est.) _5 $308.7 billion (3rd quarter, 2004 est.) _Z ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) _7 Australian dollar (AUD) _8 Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) _9 1 July - 30 June 
]& _: 10.815 million (2003) _; 14.347 million (2003) _< `B excellent domestic and international service `C domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones `D 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) _= AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) _> 104 (1997) _? .au _@ 2,847,763 (2003) _A 9.472 million (2002) 
]' _e `! 54,439 km (3859 km electrified) `e 5,434 km 1.600-m gauge `b 34,110 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified) `c 14,895 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified) `f 213 km dual gauge (2004) _B `! 811,603 km `E 314,090 km (including 18,619 km of expressways) `F 497,513 km (1999 est.) _b 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2004) _[ condensate/gas 492 km; gas 28,680 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 4,773 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2004) _C Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney _K `! 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,531,461 GRT/1,999,409 DWT by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 5 `S 16 (France 1, Germany 3, Japan 1, Philippines 1, Saudi Arabia 1, United Kingdom 2, United States 7) `\ 35 (2005) _D 448 (2004 est.) _E `! 305 `] 10 `G 12 `^ 131 `_ 139 `T 13 (2004 est.) _L `! 143 `^ 17 `_ 112 `T 14 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command _M 16 years of age for voluntary service (2001) _] males age 16-49: 4,943,676 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 4,092,717 (2005 est.) _^ `` 142,158 (2005 est.) _N $16.65 billion (2004) _O 2.7% (2004) 
]) _H East Timor and Australia continue to meet but disagree over how to delimit a permanent maritime boundary and share unexploited petroleum resources that fall outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia (see also Ashmore and Cartier Islands dispute); regional states express concern over Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime indentification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted claims to UNCLOS to extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic claims _I 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 