Australia (2001) | Gibraltar (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
20.64% (male 2,045,892; female 1,948,949) 15-64 years: 66.86% (male 6,538,096; female 6,405,014) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 1,059,107; female 1,360,536) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
18.73% (male 2,652; female 2,528) 15-64 years: 66.33% (male 9,473; female 8,866) 65 years and over: 14.94% (male 1,733; female 2,397) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry | none |
Airports | 411 (2000 est.) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
271 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 118 914 to 1,523 m: 122 under 914 m: 9 (2000 est.) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
140 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 112 under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.) |
- |
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:
6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the US | about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take 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. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999. | Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a 1967 referendum, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. |
Birth rate | 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$94 billion expenditures: $103 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues:
$307 million expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
Capital | Canberra | Gibraltar |
Climate | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Coastline | 25,760 km | 12 km |
Constitution | 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 | 30 May 1969 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Gibraltar |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | Gibraltar pound (GIP) |
Death rate | 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $220.6 billion (2000) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward W. GNEHM, 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: Sydney consulate(s): Melbourne and Perth |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael THAWLEY chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) | source of friction between Spain and the UK |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy has expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate. Growth in 2001 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets. | Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 11% to the local economy. The financial sector accounts for 20% of GDP; tourism (almost 6 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. |
Electricity - consumption | 178.306 billion kWh (1999) | 88.4 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 191.727 billion kWh (1999) | 95 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
89.93% hydro: 8.36% nuclear: 0% other: 1.71% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 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 | limited natural freshwater resources; large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater |
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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
- |
Ethnic groups | Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% | Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) | Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter HOLLINGSWORTH (since 29 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since NA) cabinet: Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice 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 leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief David DURIE (since 5 April 2000); note - DURIE was appointed in February 2000 but took office in April 2000 head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister; note - there is also a Gibraltar Council that advises the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor |
Exports | $69 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $81.1 million (f.o.b., 1997) |
Exports - commodities | coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment | (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | Japan 19%, EU 14%, ASEAN 12%, US 9%, South Korea, NZ, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1999) | UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, Germany |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
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; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars | two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 26% services: 71% (1999 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.7% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E | 36 11 N, 5 22 W |
Geography - note | world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer | strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
Highways | total:
913,000 km paved: 353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways) unpaved: 559,669 km (1996) |
total:
46.25 km paved: 46.25 km unpaved: 0 km (2001) |
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 | - |
Imports | $77 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $492 million (c.i.f., 1997) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products | fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | EU 24%, US 22%, Japan 14%, ASEAN 13% (1999) | UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands |
Independence | 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.5% (1999 est.) | NA% |
Industries | mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel | tourism, banking and finance, ship-building and repairing; support to large UK naval and air bases; tobacco, mineral water, beer, canned fish |
Infant mortality rate | 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.4% (2000 est.) | 1.5% (1998) |
International organization participation | ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC | Interpol (subbureau) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 264 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 21,070 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 9.5 million (December 1999) | 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) | services 60%, industry 40%, agriculture NEGL% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
Land use | arable land:
6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 54% forests and woodland: 19% other: 21% (1993 est.) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, native languages | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian |
Legal system | based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | English law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 1 |
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.87 years male: 77.02 years female: 82.87 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
79.09 years male: 76.23 years female: 82.1 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: above 80% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea:
3 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,558,371 GRT/2,038,776 DWT ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6 (2000 est.) |
total:
49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 669,056 GRT/1,003,809 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 15, chemical tanker 6, container 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force | British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $6.9 billion (FY98/99) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.9% (FY98/99) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
4,990,107 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
4,303,966 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
138,971 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Commonwealth Day, second Monday of March |
Nationality | noun:
Australian(s) adjective: Australian |
noun:
Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar |
Natural hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts | NA |
Natural resources | bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km | 0 km |
Political parties and leaders | Australian Democratic Party [Meg LEES]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] | Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group) | Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Housewives Association |
Population | 19,357,594 (July 2001 est.) | 27,649 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.99% (2001 est.) | 0.24% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville | Gibraltar |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 25.5 million (1997) | 37,000 (1997) |
Railways | total:
33,819 km (2,540 km electrified) broad gauge: 3,719 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 15,422 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 14,506 km 1.067-m gauge dual gauge: 172 km NA gauges (1999) |
total:
NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only |
Religions | Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11% | Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991) |
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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more |
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: submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998) |
general assessment:
adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 9.58 million (1998) | 19,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 6.4 million (1998) | 1,620 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 104 (1997) | 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
Total fertility rate | 1.77 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.4% (2000) | 13.5% (1996) |
Waterways | 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) | none |