Official languages None[N 1]

National language English (de facto)[N 1]

PIB (nominal)

estimri 2010
1.235 miliarde USD[1] (locul
- Total
13)
- Pe cap de locuitor 55.589 USD[1] (locul 6)

Conform Fondul Monetar Internaional (2010) si CIA World Factbook (2000-2010)

9

12

Statele
Unite
Statele
Unite

47,284

47,100 2010

Gini (2006) 30,5[2] (medium)

Coeficientul lui Gini este o msur a dispersii statistice folosit mai ales pentru a reprezenta
disproporii n distribuirea veniturilor sau averilor.

IDU (2010)

0,937[3] (foarte nalt) (locul

2)

Indicele dezvoltrii umane (IDU, Human Development Index n englez) este o msur comparativ a
speranei de via, alfabetizrii, nvmntului i nivelului de trai. n acest fel, este folosit pentru a
compara mai bine nivelul dedezvoltare a unei ri dect PIB-ul pe cap de locuitor, care msoar doar
prosperitatea material i nu ali indicatori socioeconomici.

Dolarul australian (cod ISO 4217: AUD) este n prezent cea de-a asea cea mai comercializat valut pe
pieele mondiale de schimb valutar, dup dolarul american, euro, yen, lira sterlin, i francul elveian, i
reprezint peste 6%, la nivel mondial, din tranzaciile de schimb valutar.

Pe lista patrimoniului mondial UNESCO sunt incluse urmtoarele obiective din Australia (n stnga: anul
prelurii bunului / locului pe ListaUNESCO):
1981 Marele Recif de Corali
1981, 1987, 1992 Parcul Naional Kakadu
1981 Zona lacustr Willandra

1982, 1989 Parcurile naturale din Tasmania de vest

1982 Grupa de insule Lord Howe
1986, 1994 Rezervaiile forestiere umede din estul Australiei
1987, 1994 Parcul Naional Uluru (Ayers Rock) - Kata Tjuta (Mount Olgas)
1988 Parcul Naional Wet Tropics n Queensland
1991 Parcul Naional Shark Bay din vestul Australiei
1992 Insula Fraser
1994 Situl fosilifer cu mamifere de la Riversleigh / Naracoorte
1997 Insulele vulcanice subantarctice Heard i McDonald
1997 Insula Macquarie
2000 Zona montan Greater Blue
2003 Parcul Naional Purnululu
2004 Cldirea regal de expoziii i grdinile Carlton
2007 Opera din Sydney
2010 Lagrul istoric al deinuilor
2011 Coasta Ningaloo

Australia is a wealthy country[195][196][197] with a market economy, a relatively high GDP per
capita, and a relatively low rate of poverty. The Australian dollar is the currency for the nation
Ranked third in the Index of Economic Freedom (2010),[199] Australia is the world's twelfth largest
economy and has the fifth highest per capita GDP (nominal) at $66,984. The country was ranked second
in the United Nations 2011 Human Development Index .
Melbourne reached first place on The Economist's 2011 and 2012 world's most livable cities lists, followed
by Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide in sixth, eighth, and ninth place respectively.
Total government debt in Australia is about $190 billion[203] 20 per cent of GDP in 2010.

An emphasis on exporting commodities rather than manufactured goods has underpinned a significant
increase in Australia's terms of trade since the start of the 21st century, due to rising commodity prices.
Australia was the only advanced economy not to experience a recession due to the global financial
downturn in 20082009.
However, the economies of six of Australia's major trading partners have been in recession, which in turn
has affected Australia, significantly hampering its economic growth in recent years.
The service sector of the economy, including tourism, education, and financial services, accounts for
about 70 per cent of GDP.
Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, particularly wheat and
wool, minerals such as iron-ore and gold, and energy in the forms of liquified natural gas and coal.
Although agriculture and natural resources account for only 3 per cent and 5 per cent of GDP respectively,
they contribute substantially to export performance. Australia's largest export markets are Japan, China,
the US, South Korea, and New Zealand.[221] Australia is the world's fourth largest exporter of wine, and
the wine industry contributes $5.5 billion per year to the nation's economy. [222]

Demographics

For almost two centuries the majority of settlers, and later immigrants, came from the British Isles. As a
result the people of Australia are primarily of British and/or Irish ethnic origin. The 2011 Census asked
respondents to provide a maximum of two ancestries with which they most closely identify. The most
commonly nominated ancestry was English (36.1 per cent), followed by Australian (35.4 per cent),

[224] Irish (10.4 per cent), Scottish (8.9 per cent), Italian(4.6 per cent), German (4.5 per
cent), Chinese (4.3 per cent), Indian (2.0 per cent), Greek (1.9 per cent), and Dutch (1.7 per cent).

[225] Asian Australians make up 12% of the population.[226]

Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I. [227] Nevertheless, itspopulation
density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, remains among the lowest in the world. [149] Much of the
population increase came from immigration. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost
5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants, meaning that nearly two out
of every seven Australians were born in another country.

Most immigrants are skilled,[229] but the immigration quota includes categories for family members
and refugees.[229] By 2050, Australia's population is currently projected to reach around 42 million.

In 2011, 24.6% of Australians were born elsewhere and 43.1% of people had at least one overseas-born
parent;[231] the largest immigrant groups were those from the United Kingdom, New
Zealand, China, India, Italy, Vietnam, and Philippines.[232]
Following the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been
established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism.
The Indigenous populationmainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanderswas counted at 548,370
(2.5 per cent of the total population) in 2011,[237] a significant increase from 115,953 in the 1976
census.[238] The increase is partly due to many people with Indigenous heritage previously having
been overlooked by the census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status had not been
recorded on the form.
Indigenous Australians experience higher than average rates of imprisonment and unemployment,

[239] lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 1117 years lower
than those of non-indigenous Australians.[221][240][241] Some remote Indigenous communities
have been described as having "failed state"-like conditions.

In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards
an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2004, the average age of the
civilian population was 38.8 years.
- Natalitate 13,7%0,
- Mortalitate 7,0%c,

- Spor natural 6,7%e (1997);

- Sperana de via la natere (1996): 75,4 ani (mase.) i 81,1 ani (fem.);
- Populatie urban 85,0% (1996).
Asemenea Canadei, alt ar de colonizare european, Australia se nscrie n rndul statelor dezvoltate ale
lumii, prin poziia sa aparte n domeniul produciei i exportului de materii prime, att minerale, ct i
agricultura Australiei se numr printre importanii productori mondiali de bauxit. Cel mai mare productor i
exportator de rutiliu, ilmenit, zirconiu i monazit, Australia este renumit prin prododucia de pietre preioase
(safire, topaze, opale) i diamante (locul 1 ca volum, dar locul 6 ca valoare). Principalele exploatri miniere se
afl n statele Western Australia (minereu de fier, nichel, bauxit, diamante, aur, gaze naturale), Queensland
(bauxit, huil, plumb, zinc, argint, cupru), New South Wales (huil, plumb, zinc, argint), Victoria (crbuni
energetici, hidrocarburi). Cu excepia aurului care a generat n secolul 19 dou golden rush (goana dup aur) una dup 1851, n zonele Ballarat i Bendingo (n 1860 A. asigura 40% din productia mondial de aur), a doua
dup 1893, n regiunea Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie - ce au favorizat i colonizarea continentului de la antipozi,
celelalte resurse de subsol au fost puse pe deplin n valoare (inclusiv sau, mai ales, la export) abia n ultimele
decenii.
Religie :
Culte: cretinism 74,0% (romano-catolici 27,3%, anglicani 23,8%, unitarieni i metoditi 8,2%, presbiterieni
4,3%, ortodoci 2,8% .a.), islamism 0,9%, budism 0,8%, mozaism 0,4%.

Australia has no state religion; Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal
government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit
the free exercise of any religion.[258] In the 2011 census, 61.1 per cent of Australians were counted
as Christian, including 25.3 per cent as Roman Catholic and 17.1 per cent as Anglican. 22.3 per cent of
the population reported having "no religion" (which
includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism and rationalism). 7.2 per cent identify with non-Christian
religions, the largest of these being Buddhism (2.5 per cent), followed by Islam (2.2 per
cent), Hinduism (1.3 per cent) and Judaism (0.5 per cent). The remaining 9.4 per cent of the population
did not provide an answer.[232]

Transport in Australia
There are many forms of transport in Australia. The nation is highly dependent on road transport.
There are more than 300 airports with paved runways. An extensive rail network for passengers connects
many rural areas to major metropolitan centres.
Australia has the second highest level of car ownership in the world. It has three to four times more road
per capita than Europe and seven to nine times more than Asia. Australia also has the third highest per
capita rate of fuel consumption in the world.

The distance travelled by car (or similar vehicle) in Australia

is among the highest in the world, being exceeded by USA and Canada.
There are 3 different categories of Australian roads. They are federal highways, state highways and local
roads. The road network comprises a total of 913,000 km broken down into:[3]
paved: 353,331 km (including 3,132 km of expressways)
unpaved: 559,669 km (1996 estimate)
The majority of road tunnels in Australia have been constructed since the 1990s to relieve traffic
congestion in metropolitan areas, or to cross significant watercourses.

Public transport in Australia

Rising petrol prices and increasing traffic congestion are thought to be factors contributing to renewed
growth in use of urban public transport.

Integrated
Urban Light
Network Buses
rail[6] rail[7]
Name
Public transport Adelaide
Adelaide
Yes
Yes
Yes
in Adelaide
Metro
Public transport
Brisbane
Translink
Yes
Yes
in Brisbane
Public transport
Darwin
Yes
in Darwin
Public transport
Gold Coast on the Gold
Translink
Yes
Yes
Yes
Coast
Public transport
Hobart
Metro
Yes
in Hobart
Public
Public transport
Melbourne
Transport
Yes
Yes
Yes
in Melbourne
Victoria
Bus routes in
Transport for
Limited
Newcastle Newcastle, New
Yes
NSW
Access
South Wales
Public transport
Perth
Transperth
Yes
Yes
in Perth
City

Sydney

Overview

Public transport Transport for

in Sydney
NSW

Yes

Yes

Yes

Monorail

Watercraft[8
]

Yes
Limited
Access
Yes
Yes
Limited
Access

Yes
Due for
demolition in
2013

Pipelines
There are several pipeline systems including:
Crude oil: 2,500 km
Petroleum products: 500 km
Natural gas: 5,600 km
Water
Perth to Kalgoorlie - Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Morgan on the Murray River to Adelaide, Whyalla, Port Lincoln
Waranga Western Channel, near Colbinabbin to Bendigo and Ballarat - Goldfields Superpipe

Yes

Ports and harbours

Mainland[edit]
General[edit]

Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Fremantle, Geelong, Gladstone, Port

Lincoln,Mackay, Melbourne, Newcastle, Portland, Sydney, Townsville, Wollongong

Iron ore[edit]
Dampier
Port Hedland
Geraldton
Oakajee - proposed 2006
Esperance
Port Lincoln - possible 2007

Tasmania[edit]
Burnie
Devonport
Launceston
Hobart

Airports with paved runways[edit]

Total: 305
Over 3,047 m (10,000 ft): 10
2,438 to 3,047 m (8,000 to 10,000 ft): 12
1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft): 131
914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 5,001 ft): 139
Under 914 m (3,000 ft): 13 (2004 estimate)

Airports with unpaved runways[edit]

Total:143
1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft): 17
914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft): 112
Under 914 m (3,000 ft): 14 (2004 estimate)

Australia has supplies of:

Bauxite: used to make aluminium.
Coal: used to generate power and used in steel production.
Copper: used for electrical equipment and cables, building construction, industrial machinery.
Diamonds: used for jewellery, industrial cutting and polishing, computer chips.
Gold: used for jewellery, electronics.
Iron: used for steel production for use in construction, cars, trains and train tracks.
Uranium: used overseas for power generation, scientific research, medical research.
Silver: used for jewellery, photographic paper, mirrors, electronics.
Gems: opals, emeralds, sapphires and rubies to name just a few.

The main industries of Australia are mining (Australia is rich in a variety of natural resources),
agriculture (sheep and cattle; grain and fruit crops) and tourism. Industrial manufacturing is also

increasing in importance.

What primary industries do we have in Australia?

Agriculture and horticulture - farming

Fisheries
Forestry
Minerals
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is the largest in Australia. The sectors include the
following:[6]

Sector
Turnover(200506, $millions)
Meat and meat products
17,836
Beverage and malt manufacturing
13,289
Dairy products
9,991
Sugar and confectionery manufacturing 6,456
Fruit and vegetable processing
4,672
Bakery products
4,005
Flour mill and cereal food manufacturing 3,692
Oil and fat manufacturing
1,547
Seafood processing
1,330 *
Other food manufacturing
8,554
Total
71,372

Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter. Agriculture and its closely related sectors earn
$155 billion-a-year for a 12% share of GDP. Australian farmers and graziers own 135,997 farms, covering
61% of Australias landmass.
The major issues facing agriculture in Australia are drought, water security, lowsoil fertility, weeds, global
warming caused by climate change, biosecurity(biological threats from imported foods and
livestock), tariffs on Australian exports in the importing country (particularly
in Europe and Japan), subsidies to farmers in other countries (see Doha Development Round), currency
fluctuations and price volatility.

Commodity
Cattle and calves
Wheat
Milk
Fruit and nuts
Vegetables
Wool
Barley
Poultry
Lambs
Sugar cane

2001-02
6,617
6,356
3,717
2,333
2,269
2,713
1,725
1,175
1,181
989

200
2-03
5,849
2,692
2,795
2,408
2,126
3,318
984
1,273
1,161
1,019

200
3-04
6,345
5,636
2,808
2,350
2,356
2,397
1,750
1,264
1,318
854

2004
-05
7,331
4,320
3,194
2,640
2,490
2,196
1,240
1,358
1,327
968

200506
7,082
5,905
3,268
2,795
2,601
2,187
1,744
1,416
1,425
1,037

2006-07
6,517
6,026
3,245
2,915
2,715
2,138
1,624
1,461
1,348
1,208

Value in millions of Australian dollars

Livestock
slaughterings
Beef
Cattle exported live
Sheep
Lambs
Sheep exported live
Pigs
Poultry

Thousands
('000)
8,587
797
14,441
17,400
6,443
5,402
416,000

In principal, comertul Australiei este reprezentat de:

Exporturi: carbune, aur, carne, lana, bauxita, minereu de fier, grau, echipamente
industriale si de transport.
Principalii parteneri la export ai Australiei pe 2007 au fost: Japonia (19.6%), UE (12.9%;
intre partenerii europeni primul loc il ocupa Marea Britanie - 5.2%), China (10.5%), SUA
(7.8%), Noua Zeelanda (7.9%), Korea (6.9%).*1
Importuri: echipamente si masini electrice, calculatoare si echipamente de birou,
echipamente pentru telecomunicatii si subansamble, petrol si produse petroliere.
Principalii parteneri la import ai Australiei au fost: UE (23.3%; principalii parteneri din
UE sunt: Marea Britanie 5.3% si Germania 5.1%), SUA (14.4%), China (11.6%), Japonia
(9.8%), Singapore (5.9%).*2