Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Australia
Introduction Australia
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. It boasted one of the OECD's
fastest growing economies during the 1990's, a performance due in
large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980's. Long-term
concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone
layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially
the Great Barrier Reef.
Geography Australia
Location:
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific
Ocean
Geographic coordinates:
27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
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
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
25,760 km
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
Climate:
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical
in north
Terrain:
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Eyre −15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium,
nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 6.55% (includes about 27 million hectares of
cultivated grassland)
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 93.41% (2001)
Irrigated land:
24,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
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
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
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
People Australia
Population:
20,090,437 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
