Compare Australia (2004) - Cook Islands (2008)

Compare Australia (2004) z Cook Islands (2008)

	Australia (2004)	Cook Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	6 states and 2 territories; Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia*	none
Age structure	0-14 years: 20.1% (male 2,044,449; female 1,948,574) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 6,747,687; female 6,623,995) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 1,121,522; female 1,426,917) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: 34.1% (male 2,718/female 2,388) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 4,531/female 4,395) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 489/female 469) (2001 census) (2001 census)
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry	copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry
Airports	444 (2003 est.)	9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 305 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 131 914 to 1,523 m: 139 under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 143 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 112 under 914 m: 14 (2004 est.)	total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
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: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states	1.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	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. 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.	Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.
Birth rate	12.4 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	21 births/1,000 population NA (2001 census)
Budget	revenues: $185 billion expenditures: $181 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)	revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million (FY05/06)
Capital	Canberra	name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north	tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March
Coastline	25,760 km	120 km
Constitution	9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901	4 August 1965
Country name	conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands
Currency	Australian dollar (AUD)	-
Death rate	7.38 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA
Debt - external	$233.5 billion (2003 est.)	$141 million (1996 est.)
Dependency status	-	self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands
Dependent areas	Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER 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	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco	none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)
Disputes - international	the 1999 maritime delimitation established partial maritime boundaries with East Timor over part of the Timor Gap but temporary resource-sharing agreements over an unreconciled area grant Australia 90% share of exploited gas reserves and hamper creation of a southern maritime boundary with Indonesia (see Ashmore and Cartier Islands disputes); Australia asserts a territorial claim to Antarctica and to its continental shelf (see Antarctica)	none
Economic aid - donor	ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)	-
Economic aid - recipient	-	$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)
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 has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence remains robust. 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 to $18 billion in 2003 and to $20 billion in 2004 from $8 billion in 2002. One other concern is the domestic housing bubble.	Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about one-third of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Islands' leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.
Electricity - consumption	184.4 billion kWh (2001)	27.9 million kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	198.2 billion kWh (2001)	30 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 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	NA
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%	Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000), 1.55 (1999)	NZ dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since 20 July 1999) cabinet: Parliament nominates and selects, from among its members, a list of candidates to serve as government ministers; from this list, the governor general swears in the final selections for the Cabinet elections: 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner Brian DONNELLY (since 21 February 2008), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister
Exports	523,400 bbl/day (2001)	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment	copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing
Exports - partners	Japan 18.1%, US 8.7%, China 8.4%, South Korea 7.4%, New Zealand 7.4%, UK 6.7% (2003)	Australia 34%, Japan 27%, NZ 25%, US 8% (2006)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	1 April - 31 March
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 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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag
GDP	purchasing power parity - $571.4 billion (2003 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3.5% industry: 26.3% services: 70.2% (2003 est.)	agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2004)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $29,000 (2003 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2003 est.)	0.1% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	27 00 S, 133 00 E	21 14 S, 159 46 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	the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km
Highways	total: 811,603 km paved: 314,090 km (including 18,619 km of expressways) unpaved: 497,513 km (1999 est.)	-
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	530,800 bbl/day (2001)	429.3 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products	foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods
Imports - partners	US 16%, Japan 12.5%, China 11%, Germany 6.1%, UK 4.2% (2003)	NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6%, Japan 2% (2006)
Independence	1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)	none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)
Industrial production growth rate	-0.1% (2003 est.)	1% (2002)
Industries	mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel	fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate	total: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.8% (2003 est.)	2.1% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	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	ACP, ADB, FAO, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IOC, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Irrigated land	24,000 sq km (1998 est.)	NA
Judicial branch	High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general)	High Court
Labor force	10.19 million (37256)	6,820 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 5%, industry 22%, services 73% (1997 est.)	agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 6.55% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.41% (2001)	arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005)
Languages	English, native languages	English (official), Maori
Legal system	based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	based on New Zealand law and English common law
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 mainland territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (150 seats - this is up from 148 seats in 2001 election; members elected by popular vote on the basis of preferential representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives) elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held not later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held not later than November 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party (as of 1 July 2003) - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 34, Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 7, Green Party 2, One Nation Party 1, Country Liberal Party 1, Australian Progressive Alliance 1, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 86, Australian Labor Party 60, Country Liberal Party 1, independent and other 3	bicameral Parliament consisting of a Legislative Assembly (or lower house) (25 seats, 24 seats representing districts of the Cook Islands, 1 seat representing Cook Islanders living overseas; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a House of Ariki (or upper house) made up of traditional leaders note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence but has no legislative powers elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 80.26 years male: 77.4 years female: 83.27 years (2004 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.)	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references	Oceania	Oceania
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	total: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,531,461 GRT/1,999,409 DWT by type: bulk 20, cargo 5, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk 2, container 3, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6 foreign-owned: United Kingdom 2, United States 12 registered in other countries: 60 (2004 est.)	total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 112,129 GRT/126,160 DWT by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 11 (Norway 1, NZ 1, Sweden 9) (2007)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Military branches	Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, new Special Operations Command (announced in December 2002)	no regular military forces; National Police Department (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$14,120.1 million (2003)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (2003)	-
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 5,061,810 (2004 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 4,356,671 (2004 est.)	-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	males: 140,182 (2004 est.)	-
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)
Nationality	noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian	noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander
Natural hazards	cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires	typhoons (November to March)
Natural resources	bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum	NEGL
Net migration rate	3.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	-
People - note	-	2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017
Pipelines	condensate/gas 492 km; gas 28,680 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 4,773 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Australian Democrats [Andrew BARTLETT]; Australian Labor Party [Mark LATHAM]; Australian Progressive Alliance [Meg LEES]; Country Liberal Party [Terry MILLS]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Len HARRIS]	Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Australian Monarchist League [leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA]	NA
Population	19,913,144 (July 2004 est.)	21,750 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA%
Population growth rate	0.9% (2004 est.)	-1.2% between 1996-2001 (2001 census)
Ports and harbors	Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	total: 44,015 km (5,290 km electrified) broad gauge: 1,957 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 27,095 km 1.435-m gauge (2,828 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,957 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified) dual gauge: 213 km dual gauge (2003)	-
Religions	Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%	Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)
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: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)	1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal and compulsory	NA years of age; universal (adult)
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: 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)	general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: the individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	10.815 million (2003)	6,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	14.347 million (2003)	1,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	104 (1997)	1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)
Terrain	mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast	low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south
Total fertility rate	1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)	3.1 children born/woman (2001 census)
Unemployment rate	6% (2003)	13.1% (2005)
Waterways	2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2004)	-

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