Australia (2007) | Monaco (2007) | |
Administrative divisions | 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 19.3% (male 2,023,375/female 1,929,229)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 6,945,068/female 6,831,653) 65 years and over: 13.2% (male 1,197,494/female 1,507,357) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 15% (male 2,514/female 2,394)
15-64 years: 62.3% (male 10,047/female 10,312) 65 years and over: 22.7% (male 3,019/female 4,385) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry | none |
Airports | 461 (2007) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 317
over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 138 914 to 1,523 m: 143 under 914 m: 13 (2007) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 144
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 109 under 914 m: 16 (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: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states | about three times the size of The Mall in 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 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 Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. |
Birth rate | 12.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $268.2 billion
expenditures: $257.3 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues: $863 million
expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.) |
Capital | name: Canberra
geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 13 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 note: Australia is divided into three time zones |
name: Monaco
geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers |
Coastline | 25,760 km | 4.1 km |
Constitution | 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 | 17 December 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia |
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
Death rate | 7.56 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $628.1 billion (2006 est.) | $18 billion (2000 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 |
the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France), under the authority of the US ambassador to France, handles routine diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco |
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 to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES
chancery: 565 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (212) 286-0500 FAX: (212) 286-1574 |
Disputes - international | Timor-Leste 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 in the Timor Sea; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catch; regional states continue to 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 margins covering over 3.37 million square kilometers or roughly thirty percent of its claimed exclusive economic zone; since 2003, Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security | none |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $894 million (FY99/00) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Australia has an enviable Western-style capitalist economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Robust business and consumer confidence and high export prices for 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. Drought and strong import demand pushed the trade deficit up in recent years, although the trade balance improved in 2006. 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 since 2002. | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. |
Electricity - consumption | 219.8 billion kWh (2005) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 236.7 billion kWh (2005) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002) | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) |
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 Kevin RUDD (since 3 December 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007) 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 |
chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)
head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government |
Exports | 333,200 bbl/day (2004) | $716.3 million
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) |
Exports - commodities | coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment | - |
Exports - partners | Japan 19.6%, China 12.3%, South Korea 7.5%, US 6.2%, India 5.5%, NZ 5.5%, UK 5% (2006) | - |
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 | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.7%
industry: 26.2% services: 70.1% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: 0%
industry: 4.9% services: 95.1% (2005) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.7% (2006 est.) | 0.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E | 43 44 N, 7 24 E |
Geography - note | world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating 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 | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | 1 (2007) |
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; major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines | - |
Imports | 611,400 bbl/day (2004) | $916.1 million
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products | - |
Imports - partners | China 14.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore 6%, Germany 5.1% (2006) | - |
Independence | 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) | 1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi) |
Industrial production growth rate | -3.5% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Industries | mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.5% (2006 est.) | 1.9% (2000) |
International organization participation | ANZUS, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
Irrigated land | 25,450 sq km (2003) | NA |
Judicial branch | High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) |
Labor force | 10.74 million (2006 est.) | 44,000
note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 3.6%
industry: 21.2% services: 75.2% (2004 est.) |
- |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 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: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) |
Languages | English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque |
Legal system | based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats; 12 members 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 vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be held no later than 2010); House of Representatives - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be called no later than 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 37, Australian Labor Party 32, Australian Greens 5, Family First Party 1, other 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Australian Labor Party 80, Liberal Party 50, National Party 10, independents 2, undecided 8 |
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.62 years
male: 77.75 years female: 83.63 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 79.82 years
male: 75.99 years female: 83.85 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 | Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
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 |
Merchant marine | total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,322,527 GRT/1,501,865 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 5, chemical tanker 1, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 16 (Canada 2, France 1, Germany 2, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 5) registered in other countries: 29 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 3, Bermuda 4, Fiji 1, The Gambia 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 4, Singapore 6, Tonga 1, UK 1, US 2, Vanuatu 2, unknown 1) (2007) |
registered in other countries: 64 (Bahamas 11, Barbados 1, Georgia 10, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 5, Panama 11, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 6, unknown 1) (2007) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) |
Military branches | Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.4% (2006) | - |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788); 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) | National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857) |
Nationality | noun: Australian(s)
adjective: Australian |
noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
Natural hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires | NA |
Natural resources | bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum | none |
Net migration rate | 3.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 7.65 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) | - |
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 [Brendan NELSON]; The Nationals [Warren TRUSS] | National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | 20,434,176 (July 2007 est.) | 32,671 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.824% (2007 est.) | 0.386% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) |
Railways | total: 38,550 km
broad gauge: 3,727 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 20,519 km 1.435-m gauge (1,877 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,074 km 1.067-m gauge (2,453 km electrified) dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (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) | Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.049 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.794 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.688 male(s)/female total population: 0.912 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; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2007) |
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 9.94 million (2006) | 34,000 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 19.76 million (2006) | 17,200 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 104 (1997) | 5 (1998) |
Terrain | mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast | hilly, rugged, rocky |
Total fertility rate | 1.76 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.75 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.9% (2006 est.) | 0% (2005) |
Waterways | 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2006) | - |