Australia

Map of Australia 

Country name	Commonwealth of Australia
Population	22,015,576 (July 2012 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth	1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Religions	Protestant 27.4% (Anglican 18.7%, Uniting Church 5.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 3%), Catholic 25.8%, Eastern Orthodox 2.7%, other Christian 7.9%, Buddhist 2.1%, Muslim 1.7%, other 2.4%, unspecified 11.3%, none 18.7% (2006 Census)
Nationality	Australian(s)
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorates 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)
Independence	1 January 1901 (from the federation of UK colonies)
Languages	English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%, Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006 Census)
Literacy	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
Geographic coordinates	27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references	Oceania
Area	Total: 7,741,220 sq km Land: 7,682,300 sq km Water: 58,920 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, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports
Exports - commodities	Coal, Iron Ore, Gold, Meat, Wool, Alumina, Wheat, Machinery and Transport Equipment
Imports – commodities	Machinery and Transport equipment, Computers and Office machines, Telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Land use	arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.81% (2005)
Irrigated land	25,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	398 cu km (1995)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%) per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands
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 freshwater resources
Environment - international agreements	party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the only continent without glaciers; 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