Australia held a closely fought federal election onJuly 2, 2016. Political sentiments ran againstmajor parties, and minor parties had a surge in

popularity. The vote count took a week; the ruling Liberal-National coalition won 76 of 150 seats in the House ofRepresentatives, just the number needed for a majority,and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull remained in office.One surprise was the resurgence of Pauline Hanson’s OneNation Party, a right-wing, anti-immigration party, whichseemingly peaked in the late 1990s but won four seats inthe Australian Senate in 2016, including a seat for Hansonrepresenting Queensland.

DemographyPopulation (2016): 24,098,000.Density (2016): persons per sq mi 8.1,persons per sq km 3.1.

Sex distribution (2015): male 50.14%;female 49.86%.

Population projection: (2020) 25,375,000;(2030) 28,234,000.

Major urban centres/agglomerations(2011/2015): Sydney 3,908,643/4,526,479; Melbourne 3,707,529/4,353,514; Brisbane 1,874,426/2,209,453;Perth 1,627,576/1,958,912; Adelaide 1,103,979/1,288,681; Gold

Coast (QLD)–Tweed Heads (NSW)533,659/624,918; Newcastle 308,307/434,454; Canberra (ACT)–Queanbeyan(NSW) 391,473/424,666; Gosford (CentralCoast) 297,713/325,082; Sunshine Coast(Caloundra) 209,263/302,122; Wollongong245,943/292,388; Hobart 170,977/209,254;Geelong 143,921/187,417; Townsville157,752/180,333; Cairns 133,891/147,993;Darwin 103,017/123,396; Toowoomba96,568/114,622.

Place of birth (2011): 69.8% native-born.Mobility (1999). Population age 15 and overliving in the same residence as in 1998:84.4%; different residence between states,regions, and neighbourhoods 15.6%.

Households (2011). Total number of households 9,140,231. Averagehousehold size 2.6; 1 person (2003–04) 25.4%, 2 persons (2003–04)33.9%, 3 or more persons (2003–04) 40.7%. Family households5,550,611 (71.5%), nonfamily 2,209,702 (28.5%), of which 1-person24.3%.

Immigration (2006–07): permanent immigrants admitted 140,148;from New Zealand 17.1%, United Kingdom 16.6%, India 9.6%,China 8.6%, Philippines 4.0%, South Africa 2.9%, Vietnam 2.2%,Malaysia 2.1%, Sri Lanka 1.9%, Sudan 1.8%. Emigration(2006–07): 72,100; to New Zealand 19.3%, United Kingdom18.2%, United States 10.0%, Hong Kong 7.5%. Refugee arrivals(2006–07) 13,017.

Age breakdown (2015):

Australia

Official name: Commonwealth ofAustralia.

Form of government: federal parliamen-tary state (formally a constitutionalmonarchy) with two legislative houses(Senate [76]; House of Representatives[150]).

Head of state: British Monarch, QueenElizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Sir Peter John Cosgrove.

Head of government: Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull.

Capital: Canberra.Official language: English.Official religion: none.Monetary unit: Australian dollar ($A);

valuation (Sept. 1, 2016) 1 U.S.$ = $A 1.33; 1 £ = $A 1.76.

Area and populationarea population

2015States Capitals sq mi sq km estimate

New South Wales (NSW) Sydney 309,129 800,642 7,617,684Queensland (QLD) Brisbane 668,207 1,730,648 4,778,854South Australia (SA) Adelaide 379,725 983,482 1,698,660Tasmania (TAS) Hobart 26,410 68,401 516,586Victoria (VIC) Melbourne 87,806 227,416 5,937,481Western Australia (WA) Perth 976,790 2,529,875 2,590,259

Territories1

Australian CapitalTerritory (ACT) Canberra 910 2,358 390,706

Christmas Island The Settlement 52 135 2,239Cocos (Keeling) Islands West Island 5 14 590Jervis Bay — 26 67 411Norfolk Island Kingston 14 35 —2

Northern Territory (NT) Darwin 520,902 1,349,129 244,307TOTAL 2,969,976 7,692,202 23,777,777

Urban-rural (2014):

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Social indicatorsQuality of working life. Average workweek (2013)3: 37.4 hours. Working 50 hours a week or more (2006) 22.5%.

Annual rate per 100,000 workers for: accidental injury and industrial disease (2008) 1,020; death (2006) 2.0.Proportion of employed persons insured for damages or income loss resulting from: injury 100%; permanent disabili-ty 100%; death 100%. Working days lost to industrial disputes per 1,000 employees (2012): 28.8. Means of trans-portation to work (2003): private automobile 74.5%; public transportation 12.0%; motorcycle, bicycle, and foot5.7%. Discouraged job seekers (2011): 90,700 (0.7% of labour force).

Social participation. Eligible voters participating in last national election (2013): 94%; voting is compulsory. Tradeunion membership in total workforce (2013): c. 17%. Volunteerism rate of population age 18 and over (2014) 31.0%.

Social deviance (2009). Offense rate per 100,000 population for: murder (2014) 1.0; sexual assault (2014) 88.0; assault(2007) 839.0; auto theft 272.7; burglary and housebreaking 1,018.0; robbery 69.7, of which armed robbery 29.8.Incidence per 100,000 in general population of: prisoners (2015) 196.0; suicide (2006) 8.7.

Material well-being (2005). Households possessing: refrigerator 99.9%; washing machine 96.4%; dishwasher 41.5%;automobiles per 1,000 population (2006) 544.

National economyBudget (2013–14). Revenue: $A 373,950,000,000 (tax revenue 93.9%,of which income tax 66.6%, sales tax 15.2%, excise and customs9.3%; nontax revenue 6.1%). Expenditures: $A 413,845,000,000(social security and welfare 34.0%; health 15.5%; general admin-istration 12.9%; education 7.2%; defense 5.3%; interest on publicdebt 3.2%).

Gross national income (GNI; 2015): U.S.$1,428,650,000,000(U.S.$60,070 per capita); purchasing power parity GNI(U.S.$44,570 per capita).

Public debt (2014): U.S.$219,182,000,000.Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (2014): sugarcane 30,518,000, wheat 25,303,000, barley

9,174,000, rapeseed 3,832,000, seed cotton 2,700,000, grapes 1,656,6216, sorghum 1,282,000, oats 1,240,000, potatoes 1,171,259,chickpeas 817,200, corn (maize) 390,000, oranges 389,7996, tomatoes 371,5146, apples 289,0646, bananas 285,5356, almonds142,6806; livestock (number of live animals) 72,612,000 sheep, 29,103,000 cattle, 3,570,000 goats, 2,308,000 pigs, 97,500,000 chick-ens; roundwood 14,388,000 cu m; fisheries production (2012) 237,471 (from aquaculture 34%); aquatic plants production (2012)1,923 (from aquaculture, none). Mining and quarrying (2014): bauxite 78,600,000 (world rank: 1), rutile 450,0007 (world rank: 1),opal (value of production) $A 20,000,0007 (world rank: 1), iron ore (metal content) 774,000,000 (world rank: 2), manganese(metal content) 3,050,000 (world rank: 2), zinc (metal content) 1,560,000 (world rank: 2), lead (metal content) 728,000 (worldrank: 2), nickel (metal content) 245,000 (world rank: 2), gold 274,000 kg (world rank: 2), ilmenite 940,0007 (world rank: 3),industrial diamonds 9,000,000 carats (world rank: 3), silver 1,720,000 kg (world rank: 4), copper (metal content) 970,000 (worldrank: 6). Manufacturing (industry value added in $A ’000,000; 2013–14): food and food products 18,768; machinery and appara-tus 11,214; fabricated metal products 10,746; chemicals and chemical products 8,705; transportation equipment 8,398; beveragesand tobacco products 7,938; nonmetallic mineral products 5,766.

Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 2013–14) 225,998,000,000 ([2012] 253,851,000,000), by source (2012): fossil

Vital statisticsBirth rate per 1,000 population(2014): 12.8 (world avg. 19.5).

Death rate per 1,000 population(2014): 6.5 (world avg. 8.1).

Natural increase rate per 1,000 popu-lation (2014): 6.3 (world avg. 11.4).

Life expectancy at birth (2013): male79.6 years; female 84.5 years.

Ethnic composition (2007): Religious affiliation (2011):

Structure of gross domestic product and labour force

2013–14 2013

in value % of total labour % of labour$A ’000,000 value force force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing 37,256 2.3 323,100 2.6Mining and quarrying 131,799 8.3 283,900 2.3Manufacturing 101,050 6.4 949,500 7.7Construction 124,984 7.9 1,027,200 8.4Public utilities 43,003 2.7 158,800 1.3Transp. and commun. 118,739 7.5 787,800 6.4Trade, restaurants 168,879 10.7 2,420,200 19.8Finance, real estate 311,967 19.7 1,467,100 12.0Pub. admin., defense 83,363 5.3 763,700 6.2Services 359,929 22.7 3,392,500 27.7Other 102,5884 6.54 687,0005 5.65

TOTAL 1,583,557 100.0 12,260,800 100.0

Breakdown of 30.2% foreign-born population (2011):

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National economy (continued)fuels 89.9%; hard coal (metric tons; 2012) 365,000,000([2011] 20,900,000); lignite (metric tons; 2012) 65,000,000([2011] 234,000,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 2013)142,000,000 ([2011] 239,000,000); petroleum products (metrictons; 2012) 31,668,000 ([2011] 38,616,000); natural gas (cu m;2013) 56,214,000,000 ([2011] 33,774,000,000).

Population economically active (2013): total 12,260,800; participation rates: ages 15–64, male 71.5%; female58.7%; unemployed (August 2013–July 2014) 5.9%, of which youth (ages 15–24) 12.2%.

Land use as % of total land area (2009): in temporary crops 3.6%, left fallow 2.5%9, in permanent crops0.05%, in pasture 47.1%, forest area 19.6%.

Foreign trade10

Imports (2013): U.S.$232,481,000,000 (machinery and appara-tus 28.1%, of which boilers and machinery 14.6%, electricalmachinery 9.7%; crude petroleum 8.4%; refined petroleumproducts 7.6%; medicines and pharmaceuticals 4.0%; plasticsand rubber products 4.0%; food and food products 3.7%;textiles and textile articles 3.6%).Major import sources:

Exports (2013): U.S.$252,155,000,000 (metal ore and scrap32.1%, of which iron ore and concentrates 26.7%; mineralfuels 25.9%, of which bituminous coal 15.2%, LNG 6.0%,crude petroleum 3.4%; food and food products 10.0%, ofwhich cereals [mostly wheat] and cereal preparations 3.2%,meat and meat preparations 3.0%; gold 5.3%; chemicals andchemical products 4.7%; machinery and apparatus 3.3%).Major export destinations:

Education and healthLiteracy (2006): total popula-tion literate, virtually 100%11.

Health: physicians (2011)76,434 (1 per 281 persons);hospital beds (2010) 82,406 (1per 256 persons); infant mor-tality rate per 1,000 live births(2013) 3.6; undernourishedpopulation (2006–08) lessthan 5% of total population.

Transport and communicationsTransport. Railroads (2011–12): route length (2014) 36,968 km; passenger-km 15,180,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 290,570,000,000. Roads (2007):total length (2011) 511,522 mi, 823,217 km (paved 43%); passenger-km301,500,000,00013; metric ton-km cargo 182,500,000,000. Vehicles (2014):passenger cars 13,297,000; trucks and buses 3,555,000.

1With permanent civilian population only. 2Unknown; revised 2011resident census figure was 1,795. 3Manufacturing only. 4Taxes onproducts less subsidies and less statistical discrepancy.5Unemployed. 62012. 72013. 8At end of year. 9Includes temporarymeadows and pastures. 10Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. 11A nationalsurvey conducted in 1996 put the number of persons who had verypoor literacy and numeracy skills at about 17% of the total popu-lation (ages 15–64). 12Troops deployed abroad (November 2015) c. 1,640, of which to United Arab Emirates 800. 13Passenger carsand buses. 14Subscribers.

Internet resources for further information:• Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au• Reserve Bank of Australia www.rba.gov.au

MilitaryTotal active duty personnel(November 2015):56,75012 (army 51.1%,navy 23.9%, air force25.0%). Military expendi-ture as percentage ofGDP (2015): 1.8%; percapita expenditureU.S.$1,001.

Financial aggregates2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Exchange rate, $A per8:

U.S. dollar 1.44 1.12 0.98 0.98 0.96 1.13 1.22£ 2.10 1.81 1.54 1.52 1.52 1.86 1.48SDR 2.22 1.75 1.52 1.51 1.48 1.74 1.77

Interest and pricesGovt. bond yield (short-term; %) 5.73 4.22 4.89 4.37 2.83 2.81 2.75

Industrial share prices(2005 = 100) 113.7 95.4 105.8 103.2 100.0 112.8 114.0

Communications units unitsnumber per 1,000 number per 1,000

Medium date in ’000s persons Medium date in ’000s persons

TelephonesCellular 2015 31,77014 1,32814

Landline 2015 9,080 380

Internet users 2009 15,757 740Broadband 2015 6,66314 27914

Breakdown of 10.1% renewable energy (2012):

O ff the coast of Queensland, Australia, the GreatBarrier Reef is the largest living organism on Earth.

Covering an area of 133,360 sq mi (345,400 sq km)—larger than Italy—it can actually be seen from space. AUNESCO World Heritage site, it is also one of the SevenNatural Wonders of the World.

DID YOU KNOW?

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