Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
Head of State: President Hu Jintau
Population
22,015,576
1,343,239,923
Life Expectancy
81.900 years
74.840 years
Capital City
Canberra
Beijing
Largest city
Sydney (population: 4,394,580)
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Human Development Index
0.965
0.762
GDP per capita
$40,800 US
$8,500 US
Literacy Rate
99%
90.9%
Corruption Perception Index
8.7
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
29.6%
21.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
Unemployment Rate
5.100%
6.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
federal parliamentary democracy
Communist state
Independence date
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established)
Religions
Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Languages
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Exports
coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
External Debt
$1,376,000,000,000 $
$697,200,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.000%
4.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
46
100
Location
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Area
7,741,220 km sq
9,596,961 km sq
Coastline
25,760 km
14,500 km
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
