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Compare Australia (2006) - Korea, North (2002)

Compare Australia (2006) z Korea, North (2002)

 Australia (2006)Korea, North (2002)
 AustraliaKorea, North
Administrative divisions 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Najin Sonbong-si*, Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (Pyongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Age structure 0-14 years: 19.6% (male 2,031,313/female 1,936,802)


15-64 years: 67.3% (male 6,881,863/female 6,764,709)


65 years and over: 13.1% (male 1,170,589/female 1,478,806) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 25.4% (male 2,888,478; female 2,747,133)


15-64 years: 67.4% (male 7,380,183; female 7,612,275)


65 years and over: 7.2% (male 527,256; female 1,068,870) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports 455 (2006) 87 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 311


over 3,047 m: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 12


1,524 to 2,437 m: 133


914 to 1,523 m: 143


under 914 m: 13 (2006)
total: 39


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 26


1,524 to 2,437 m: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 144


1,524 to 2,437 m: 18


914 to 1,523 m: 111


under 914 m: 15 (2006)
total: 48


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 8 (2002)
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: 120,540 sq km


land: 120,410 sq km


water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states slightly smaller than Mississippi
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 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 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population, while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons.
Birth rate 12.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 17.95 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $249.8 billion


expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital name: Canberra


geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 08 E


time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March (ended first Sunday in April 2006)


note: Australia is divided into three time zones
Pyongyang
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline 25,760 km 2,495 km
Constitution 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia


conventional short form: Australia
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea


conventional short form: North Korea


local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk


local short form: none


note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country


abbreviation: DPRK
Currency - North Korean won (KPW)
Death rate 7.51 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $323.4 billion (2005 est.) $12 billion (1996 est.)
Dependent areas Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, 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: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON


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, San Francisco
none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international East Timor and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly 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 identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental margin from both its mainland and Antarctic claims 33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
Economic aid - donor ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) -
Economic aid - recipient - $NA; note - nearly $300 million in food aid alone from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations
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. North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. Despite a good harvest in 2001, the nation faces its ninth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land; collective farming; weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000; and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Recently, the regime has placed emphasis on earning hard currency, developing information technology, addressing power shortages, and attracting foreign aid, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing widespread market-oriented reforms. In 2002, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and threaten fuel aid as well.
Electricity - consumption 221 billion kWh (2004) 31.062 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 237 billion kWh (2004) 33.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 33%


hydro: 67%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m


highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 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 water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
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: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) official: North Korean won per US dollar - 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 200 (December 2001)
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 Mark VAILE (since 6 July 2005)


cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers


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: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was named President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials


head of government: Premier HONG Song-nam (since 5 September 1998); Vice Premiers CHO Ch'ang-tok (since NA), KWAK Pom-ki (since NA), Sin IL-nam (since NA April 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly


elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA)


election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA%
Exports 523,400 bbl/day (2001) $826 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India 5% (2005) Japan 36.3%, South Korea 21.5%, China 5.2% (2000)
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 known as the Commonwealth or Federation 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; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
GDP - purchasing power parity - $22 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.8%


industry: 26.2%


services: 70% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 30%


industry: 32%


services: 37% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.7% (2005 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note 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 strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Heliports 1 (2006) -
Highways - total: 31,200 km


paved: 1,997 km


unpaved: 29,203 km (1996)
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) $1.874 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6% (2005) China 26.7%, South Korea 16.2%, Japan 12.3% (2000)
Independence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate 1.1% (2005 est.) NA%
Industries mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
22.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.7% (2005 est.) NA%
International organization participation ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 25,450 sq km (2003) 14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Labor force 10.42 million (2005 est.) 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 21.2%


services: 75.2% (2004 est.)
agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,673 km


border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)


permanent crops: 0.04%


other: 93.81% (2005)
arable land: 14.12%


permanent crops: 2.49%


other: 83.39% (1998 est.)
Languages English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) Korean
Legal system based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and 2 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 5 representatives)


elections: 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)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - 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
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
Life expectancy at birth total population: 80.5 years


male: 77.64 years


female: 83.52 years (2006 est.)
total population: 71.3 years


male: 68.31 years


female: 74.44 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (1990 est.)
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references Oceania Asia
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


note: military boundary line 50 NM in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Merchant marine total: 53 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,361,000 GRT/1,532,874 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 17, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 5


foreign-owned: 17 (Canada 1, France 3, Germany 3, Japan 1, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 3)


registered in other countries: 34 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 2, Bermuda 3, Fiji 1, Hong Kong 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 1, NZ 2, Panama 3, Portugal 1, Singapore 7, Tonga 1, UK 3, US 2, Vanuatu 2) (2006)
total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 738,886 GRT/1,037,506 DWT


ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 102, combination bulk 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 3, short-sea passenger 2


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure $17.84 billion (2005 est.) $5,124.1 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (2005 est.) 31.3% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 6,032,376 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,619,535 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 179,136 (2002 est.)
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Nationality noun: Australian(s)


adjective: Australian
noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Net migration rate 3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines condensate/gas 546 km; gas 31,323 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 4,808 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2006) crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km
Political parties and leaders Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; The Nationals [Mark VAILE] Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, General Secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population 20,264,082 (July 2006 est.) 22,224,195 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.85% (2006 est.) 1.1% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Radio broadcast stations AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Radios - 3.36 million (1997)
Railways total: 47,738 km


broad gauge: 4,015 km 1.600-m gauge


standard gauge: 28,662 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 14,831 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified)


dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2005)
total: 5,000 km


standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159 km double-tracked)


narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge


dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails provide two gauges) (1996)
Religions 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) traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)


note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
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 (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 17 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: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2005)
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing
Telephones - main lines in use 11.46 million (2005) 1.1 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 18.42 million (2005) NA
Television broadcast stations 104 (1997) 38 (1999)
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) 2.22 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.1% (2005 est.) NA%
Waterways 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2002) 2,253 km


note: mostly navigable by small craft only
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