Australia (2001) | Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia | none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at the second order |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
20.64% (male 2,045,892; female 1,948,949) 15-64 years: 66.86% (male 6,538,096; female 6,405,014) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 1,059,107; female 1,360,536) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 24.6% (male 878; female 840)
15-64 years: 64.9% (male 2,316; female 2,227) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 323; female 411) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry | vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
Airports | 411 (2000 est.) | 2 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
271 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 118 914 to 1,523 m: 122 under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
140 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 112 under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.) |
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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 |
total: 242 sq km
land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the US | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 an independent republic, was defeated in 1999. | First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. |
Birth rate | 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.15 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$94 billion expenditures: $103 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $70 million
expenditures: $60 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
Capital | Canberra | Saint-Pierre |
Climate | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north | cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy |
Coastline | 25,760 km | 120 km |
Constitution | 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia |
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.72 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $220.6 billion (2000) | NA (2003 est.) |
Dependency status | - | self-governing territorial collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward W. GNEHM, Jr. 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: Sydney consulate(s): Melbourne and Perth |
none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael THAWLEY chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco |
none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | approximately $60 million in annual grants from France |
Economy - overview | Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy has expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate. Growth in 2001 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets. | The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector. |
Electricity - consumption | 178.306 billion kWh (1999) | 39.08 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 191.727 billion kWh (1999) | 42.03 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
89.93% hydro: 8.36% nuclear: 0% other: 1.71% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m |
Environment - current issues | 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 | recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment |
Environment - international agreements | 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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Ethnic groups | Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% | Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) | euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.0626 (2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter HOLLINGSWORTH (since 29 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since NA) cabinet: Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Albert DUPUY (since 10 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Marc PLANTAGENEST (since NA) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held, first round - 21 April 2002, second round - 5 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council |
Exports | $69 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment | fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts |
Exports - partners | Japan 19%, EU 14%, ASEAN 12%, US 9%, South Korea, NZ, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1999) | US 42.9%, Ecuador 28.6%, Canada 14.3%, France 14.3% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
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; 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 | a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the flag of France is used for official occasions |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $48.33 million - supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 26% services: 71% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $6,900 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.7% (2000 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E | 46 50 N, 56 20 W |
Geography - note | 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 | vegetation scanty |
Highways | total:
913,000 km paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways) unpaved: 559,669 km (1996) |
total: 114 km
paved: 69 km unpaved: 45 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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 | - |
Imports | $77 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products | meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials |
Imports - partners | EU 24%, US 22%, Japan 14%, ASEAN 13% (1999) | France 51%, Canada 31.4%, Italy 11.8% (2003) |
Independence | 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) | none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.5% (1999 est.) | NA |
Industries | mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel | fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 7.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.4% (2000 est.) | 2.1% (1991-96 average) |
International organization participation | ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC | UPU, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 264 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 21,070 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) | Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | 9.5 million (December 1999) | 3,261 (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) | fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 54% forests and woodland: 19% other: 21% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 13.04%
permanent crops: 0% other: 86.96% (2001) |
Languages | English, native languages | French (official) |
Legal system | based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation |
Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 1 |
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5 note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.87 years male: 77.02 years female: 82.87 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.28 years
male: 75.97 years female: 80.7 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) |
Location | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean | Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) |
Map references | Oceania | North America |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,558,371 GRT/2,038,776 DWT ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6 (2000 est.) |
none |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $6.9 billion (FY98/99) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.9% (FY98/99) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
4,990,107 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
4,303,966 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
138,971 (2001 est.) |
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National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun:
Australian(s) adjective: Australian |
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French |
Natural hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts | persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum | fish, deepwater ports |
Net migration rate | 4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -4.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Australian Democratic Party [Meg LEES]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] | PRG [leader NA]; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP) [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group) | NA |
Population | 19,357,594 (July 2001 est.) | 6,995 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 0.99% (2001 est.) | 0.26% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville | Saint Pierre |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 25.5 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
33,819 km (2,540 km electrified) broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999) |
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Religions | Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11% | Roman Catholic 99% |
Sex ratio | 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 (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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: 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) |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: NA international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 9.58 million (1998) | 4,800 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 6.4 million (1998) | 0 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | 104 (1997) | 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast | mostly barren rock |
Total fertility rate | 1.77 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.05 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.4% (2000) | 9.8% (1997) |
Waterways | 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) | - |