year=2016&name=Australia - Gheos Worldguide

Statistics Australia

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Australia - Introduction 2016

Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 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 of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). 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 Allied effort in World Wars I and II.
In recent decades Australia has become an internationally competitive advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include an aging population pressure on infrastructure and environmental issues such as floods droughts and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world.

Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S 133 00 E

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 7,741,220 km²
Land: 7,682,300 km²
Water: 58,920 km²
Note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Rank: 6
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
Mean elevation: 330 m
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

Land use
Agricultural land: 53.4%

arable land: 6.2%
permanent crops: 0.1%
permanent pasture: 47.1%

Forest: 19.3%
Other: 27.3%

Irrigated land: 25,500 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands

Geography
Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the largest country in Oceania the largest country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest country without land borders; 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

Australia - People 2016

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Population: 22,992,654 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 56
Growth rate: 1.05% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 113
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Australian
Adjective: Australian

Ethnic groups: English 25.9% Australian 25.4% Irish 7.5% Scottish 6.4% Italian 3.3% German 3.2% Chinese 3.1% Indian 1.4% Greek 1.4% Dutch 1.2% other 15.8% (includes Australian aboriginal .5%) unspecified 5.4%
Note: data represents self-identified ancestry over a third of respondents reported two ancestries

Languages: English 76.8% Mandarin 1.6% Italian 1.4% Arabic 1.3% Greek 1.2% Cantonese 1.2% Vietnamese 1.1% other 10.4% unspecified 5% (2011 est.)

Religions: Protestant 30.1% (Anglican 17.1% Uniting Church 5.0% Presbyterian and Reformed 2.8% Baptist 1.6% Lutheran 1.2% Pentecostal 1.1% other Protestant 1.3%) Catholic 25.3% (Roman Catholic 25.1% other Catholic 0.2%) other Christian 2.9% Orthodox 2.8% Buddhist 2.5% Muslim 2.2% Hindu 1.3% other 1.3% none 22.3% unspecified 9.3% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.84%
15-24 years: 12.96%
25-54 years: 41.55%
55-64 years: 11.82%
65 years and over: 15.82% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.9%
Youth dependency ratio: 28.2%
Elderly dependency ratio: 22.7%
Potential support ratio: 4.4%

Median age
Total: 38.6 years
Male: 37.8 years
Female: 39.4 years
Rank: 58

Population growth rate: 1.05% (2016 est.)
Rank: 113

Birth rate: 12.1 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 163

Death rate: 7.2 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 124

Net migration rate: 5.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 22

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 89.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.47% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: Sydney 4.505 million; Melbourne 4.203 million; Brisbane 2.202 million; Perth 1.861 million; Adelaide 1.256 million; CANBERRA (capital) 423,000 (2015)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male/female
25-54 years: 1.04 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 30.5 (2006 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 188

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 82.2 years
Male: 79.8 years
Female: 84.8 years
Rank: 15

Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 158

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 72.3%
Note: percent of women aged 18-44

Drinking water source:

urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.27 physicians/1000 population (2011)

Hospital bed density: 3.9 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.16% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 100
People living with hivaids: 26,900 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 74
Deaths: 200 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 105

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 29.9% (2014)
Rank: 44

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 0.2% (2007)
Rank: 138

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 56

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 20 years
Male: 20 years
Female: 21 years

Youth unemployment

Australia - Government 2016

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Country name
Conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
Conventional short form: Australia
Etymology: the name Australia derives from the Latin 'australis' meaning 'southern'; the Australian landmass was long referred to as 'Terra Australis' or the Southern Land

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Federal Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Canberra
Geographic coordinates: 35 16 S 149 08 E
Time difference: UTC+10
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins first Sunday in October; ends first Sunday in April
Note: Australia has three time zones

Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory* New South Wales Northern Territory* Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia

Dependent areas: (6) Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

Independence: 1 January 1901 (from the federation of UK colonies)

National holiday: Australia Day (commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of Australian settlers) 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)

Constitution: 9 July 1900; effective 1 January 1901; amended several times last in 1977; note - a referendum to amend the constitution to reflect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act 2013 is planned for early 2017 (2016)

Legal system: common law system based on the English model

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II ; represented by Governor General Sir Peter COSGROVE (since 28 March 2014)
Head of government: Prime Minister Malcolm TURNBULL ; Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby JOYCE (since 18 February 2016)
Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and sworn in by the governor general
Electionsappointments: the monarchy 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 majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by majority preferential vote; members serve terms of up to 3 years)
Elections: Senate - last held on 2 July 2016; House of Representatives - last held on 2 July 2016; this election represents a rare double dissolution where all 226 seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives are up for reelection
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party NA - awaiting final results; seats by party NA - awaiting final results; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party Liberal/National Coalition 42.14% ALP 34.91% The Greens 9.93% Katter's Australian Party 0.55% Nick Xenophon Team 1.86% independents 2.85%; seats by party Liberal/National Coalition 77 ALP 68 The Greens 1 Katter's Australian Party 1 Nick Xenophon Team 1 independents 2

Judicial branch
Highest court: High Court of Australia ; note - each of the 6 states 2 territories and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court; the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: subordinate courts: subordinate courts at the federal level: Federal Court; Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia; Family Court; subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts – Victoria Queensland South Australia Western Australia Tasmania Northern Territory Australian Capital Territory; District Courts – New South Wales Queensland South Australia Western Australia; County Court – Victoria; Family Court – Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island

Political parties and leaders: Palmer United Party or PUP [Clive PALMER]

International organization participation: ADB ANZUS APEC ARF ASEAN (dialogue partner) Australia Group BIS C CD CP EAS EBRD EITI (implementing country) FAO FATF G-20 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NEA NSG OECD OPCW OSCE (partner) Pacific Alliance (observer) Paris Club PCA PIF SAARC (observer) SICA (observer) Sparteca SPC UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNMISS UNMIT UNRWA UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph Benedict HOCKEY
In the us chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 797-3,000
In the us FAX: [1] 797-3,168
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Honolulu Houston Los Angeles New York San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Morrell John BERRY
From the us embassy: Moonah Place Yarralumla Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2,600
From the us mailing address: APO AP 96,549
From the us telephone: [61] 6,214-5,600
From the us FAX: [61] 6,214-5,970
From the us consulate general: Melbourne Perth Sydney

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

National symbols: Southern Cross constellation (five seven-pointed stars) kangaroo emu; national colors: green gold

National anthem
Name: 'Advance Australia Fair'
Lyrics and music: Peter Dodds McCORMICK
Note: adopted 1984; although originally written in the late 19th century the anthem was not used for all official occasions until 1984; as a Commonwealth country in addition to the national anthem 'God Save the Queen' is also played at Royal functions

National heritage

Australia - Economy 2016

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Economy overview:

Following two decades of continuous growth low unemployment contained inflation very low public debt and a strong and stable financial system Australia enters 2016 facing a range of growth constraints principally driven by a sharp fall in global prices of key export commodities. Demand for resources and energy from Asia and especially China has stalled and sharp drops in current prices have impacted growth.
The services sector is the largest part of the Australian economy accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of jobs. Australia was comparatively unaffected by the global financial crisis as the banking system has remained strong and inflation is under control.
Australia benefited from a dramatic surge in its terms of trade in recent years although this trend has reversed due to falling global commodity prices. Australia is a significant exporter of natural resources energy and food. Australia's abundant and diverse natural resources attract high levels of foreign investment and include extensive reserves of coal iron copper gold natural gas uranium and renewable energy sources. A series of major investments such as the US$40 billion Gorgon Liquid Natural Gas project will significantly expand the resources sector.
Australia is an open market with minimal restrictions on imports of goods and services. The process of opening up has increased productivity stimulated growth and made the economy more flexible and dynamic. Australia plays an active role in the World Trade Organization APEC the G20 and other trade forums. Australia’s free trade agreement (FTA) with China entered into force in 2015 adding to existing FTAs with the Republic of Korea Japan Chile Malaysia New Zealand Singapore Thailand and the US and a regional FTA with ASEAN and New Zealand. Australia continues to negotiate bilateral agreements with India and Indonesia as well as larger agreements with its Pacific neighbors and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and an Asia-wide Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that includes the ten ASEAN countries and China Japan Korea New Zealand and India. Australia is also working on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement with Brunei Canada Chile Japan Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Peru Singapore the US and Vietnam.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$1.489 trillion (2015 est.)
$1.454 trillion (2014 est.)
$1.56 trillion (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 20

Real gdp growth rate:

2.5% (2015 est.)
2.6% (2014 est.)
2% (2013 est.)

Rank: 128

Real gdp per capita:

$65,400 (2015 est.)
$64,700 (2014 est.)
$65,400 (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 26

Gross national saving:

21.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
23.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
24.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

Rank: 71

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 57.5%
Government consumption: 18.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 26%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 19.5%
Imports of goods and services: -21.7%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.6%
Industry: 27.8%
Services: 68.6%

Agriculture products: wheat barley sugarcane fruits; cattle sheep poultry

Industries: mining industrial and transportation equipment food processing chemicals steel

Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2015 est.)
Rank: 121

Labor force: 12.5 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 45
By occupation agriculture: 3.6%
By occupation industry: 21.1%
By occupation services: 75.3%

Unemployment rate:

6.1% (2015 est.)
6.1% (2014 est.)

Rank: 69

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 25.4%

Distribution of family income gini index:

30.3 (2008)
35.2 (1994)

Rank: 120

Budget
Revenues: $415.6 billion
Expenditures: $436.3 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 79

Taxes and other revenues: 34% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 66

Public debt:

44.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
42.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 105

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices:

1.5% (2015 est.)
2.5% (2014 est.)

Rank: 108

Central bank discount rate:

3% (28 February 2013)
4.35% (31 December 2010)

Note: this is the Reserve Bank of Australia's 'cash rate target' or policy rate
Rank: 106

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.58% (31 December 2015 est.)
5.95% (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 135

Stock of narrow money:

$223.2 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$224.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 19

Stock of broad money:

$1.661 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
$1.648 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)

Rank: 11

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.986 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
$2.09 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 12

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.286 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.198 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.455 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 13

Current account balance:

-$56.2 billion (2015 est.)
-$43.83 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 194

Exports:

$188.3 billion (2015 est.)
$240.7 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 26
Commodities: coal iron ore gold meat wool alumina wheat machinery and transport equipment
Partners: China 32.2% Japan 15.9% South Korea 7.1% US 5.4% India 4.2% (2015)

Imports:

$207.7 billion (2015 est.)
$240.3 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 21
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment computers and office machines telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Partners: China 23% US 11.2% Japan 7.4% South Korea 5.5% Thailand 5.1% Germany 4.6% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$49.27 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$53.89 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 38

Debt external:

$1.524 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.552 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 13

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$582.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$599.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 16

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:

$437.8 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$483.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 18

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -
1.3291 (2015 est.)
1.1078 (2014 est.)
1.1094 (2013 est.)
0.97 (2012 est.)
0.9695 (2011 est.)

Australia - Energy 2016

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Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 322,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 31
Crude oil exports: 248,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 29
Crude oil imports: 332,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 20
Crude oil proven reserves: 1.2 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 40

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 481,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 28
Products consumption: 1.116 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 21
Products exports: 42,730 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 55
Products imports: 546,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 17

Natural gas
Production: 62.64 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 15
Consumption: 38.51 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 24
Exports: 31.61 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 11
Imports: 6.938 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 30
Proven reserves: 860.8 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 24

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 385 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 17

Energy consumption per capita

Australia - Communication 2016

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 9.08 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40
Fixed lines rank: 22
Mobile cellular total: 31.77 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140
Mobile cellular rank: 39

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent domestic and international service
Domestic: domestic satellite system; significant use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile 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 NZ and the US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat 2 Inmarsat 2 Globalstar 5 other) (2015)

Broadcast media: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) runs multiple national and local radio networks and TV stations as well as Australia Network a TV service that broadcasts throughout the Asia-Pacific region and is the main public broadcaster; Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) a second large public broadcaster operates radio and TV networks broadcasting in multiple languages; several large national commercial TV networks a large number of local commercial TV stations and hundreds of commercial radio stations are accessible; cable and satellite systems are available (2008)

Internet
Country code: .au
Users total: 19.238 million
Users percent of population: 84.6%
Users rank: 28

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Australia - Military 2016

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Military expenditures:

1.71% of GDP (2012)
1.84% of GDP (2011)
1.71% of GDP (2010)

Rank: 50

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in most combat roles except the Army special forces (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Australia - Transportation 2016

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 11
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 175
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 69,294,187
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,887,295,820 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: VH (2016)

Airports: 480 (2013)
Rank: 16
With paved runways total: 349
With paved runways over 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 155
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 155
With paved runways under 914 m: 14
With unpaved runways total: 131
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 101
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 14

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: condensate/gas 637 km; gas 30,054 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 3,609 km; oil/gas/water 110 km; refined products 72 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 36,968 km
Broad gauge: 3,727 km 1.600-m gauge
Standard gauge: 18,727 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 14,514 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 7

Roadways
Total: 823,217 km
Paved: 356,343 km
Unpaved: 466,874 km
Rank: 9

Waterways: 2000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2011)
Rank: 42

Merchant marine
Total: 41
By type: bulk carrier 8 cargo 7 liquefied gas 4 passenger 6 passenger/cargo 6 petroleum tanker 5 roll on/roll off 5
Foreign owned: 17
Registered in other countries: 25 (2010)
Rank: 75

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Brisbane Cairns Darwin Fremantle Geelong Gladstone Hobart Melbourne Newcastle Port Adelaide Port Kembla Sydney
Dry bulk cargo port: Dampier Dalrymple Bay (coal) Hay Point (coal) Port Hedland (iron ore) Port Walcott (iron ore)
Container port: Brisbane (1,004,983) Melbourne (2,467,967) Sydney (2,028,074)(2011)
LNG terminal: Darwin Karratha Burrup Curtis Island

Australia - Transnational issues 2016

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Disputes international: In 2007 Australia and Timor-Leste agreed to a 50-year development zone and revenue sharing arrangement and deferred a maritime boundary; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica; Australia's 2004 submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf extends its continental margins over 3.37 million square kilometers expanding its seabed roughly 30 percent beyond its claimed EEZ; all borders between Indonesia and Australia have been agreed upon bilaterally but a 1997 treaty that would settle the last of their maritime and EEZ boundary has yet to be ratified by Indonesia's legislature; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 7,785 (Afghanistan); 5,201 (Iran) (2015)

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

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