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Compare Australia (2006) - New Zealand (2008)

Compare Australia (2006) z New Zealand (2008)

 Australia (2006)New Zealand (2008)
 AustraliaNew Zealand
Administrative divisions 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast
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: 20.8% (male 437,547/female 417,698)


15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,393,057/female 1,378,358)


65 years and over: 11.9% (male 214,189/female 274,922) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish
Airports 455 (2006) 121 (2007)
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: 41


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 26


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
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: 80


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 31


under 914 m: 46 (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: 268,680 sq km


land: 268,021 sq km


water: NA


note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states about the size of Colorado
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. The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
Birth rate 12.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 13.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $249.8 billion


expenditures: $240.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $54.36 billion


expenditures: $48.51 billion (2007 est.)
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
name: Wellington


geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March


note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Coastline 25,760 km 15,134 km
Constitution 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia


conventional short form: Australia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: New Zealand


abbreviation: NZ
Death rate 7.51 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $323.4 billion (2005 est.) $50.02 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Dependent areas Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
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
chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK


embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington


mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034


telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000


FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490


consulate(s) general: Auckland
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON


chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800


FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, 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 asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
Economic aid - donor ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) ODA, $276 million (2006 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. Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes - but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $27,800 in 2007 in purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years. Exports were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. Inflationary pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in managing the economy.
Electricity - consumption 221 billion kWh (2004) 37.39 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 237 billion kWh (2004) 42.06 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m


highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 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 deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species
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-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) New Zealand 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 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since July 2002)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation 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 the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Exports 523,400 bbl/day (2001) 15,720 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Exports - partners Japan 20.3%, China 11.5%, South Korea 7.9%, US 6.7%, NZ 6.5%, India 5% (2005) Australia 20.5%, US 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4%, UK 4.9% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 1 April - 31 March


note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes
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 blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.8%


industry: 26.2%


services: 70% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 4.3%


industry: 26.2%


services: 69.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.7% (2005 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 41 00 S, 174 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 about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
Government - note - while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand
Heliports 1 (2006) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA (1991 est.)
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 significant consumer of amphetamines
Imports 530,800 bbl/day (2001) 140,900 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
Imports - partners US 13.9%, China 13.7%, Japan 11%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.6% (2005) Australia 20.5%, China 12.3%, US 11.8%, Japan 9.2%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2006)
Independence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) 26 September 1907 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 1.1% (2005 est.) 1.8% (2007 est.)
Industries mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
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.)
total: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 6.48 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.7% (2005 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)
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 ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 25,450 sq km (2003) 2,850 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General
Labor force 10.42 million (2005 est.) 2.23 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 21.2%


services: 75.2% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 7%


industry: 19%


services: 74% (2006 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 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: 5.54%


permanent crops: 6.92%


other: 87.54% (2005)
Languages English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Legal system based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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 House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.7%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.1%, UF 2.7%, ACT New Zealand 1.5%, Progressive 1.2%, other 1.3%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1


note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote
Life expectancy at birth total population: 80.5 years


male: 77.64 years


female: 83.52 years (2006 est.)
total population: 78.96 years


male: 75.97 years


female: 82.08 years (2007 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


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
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


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 108,667 GRT/89,458 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1)


registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 3, France 1, UK 1) (2007)
Military branches Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2008)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $17.84 billion (2005 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (2005 est.) 1% (2005 est.)
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)
Nationality noun: Australian(s)


adjective: Australian
noun: New Zealander(s)


adjective: New Zealand
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Net migration rate 3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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) condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007)
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] ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population 20,264,082 (July 2006 est.) 4,115,771 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.85% (2006 est.) 0.95% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
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: 4,128 km


narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006)
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) Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (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 (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.011 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.779 male(s)/female


total population: 0.987 male(s)/female (2007 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: 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: excellent domestic and international systems


domestic: NA


international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other
Telephones - main lines in use 11.46 million (2005) 1.729 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 18.42 million (2005) 3.53 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 104 (1997) 41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Total fertility rate 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.79 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.1% (2005 est.) 3.5% (2007 est.)
Waterways 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2002) -
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