Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
President: Jakaya Kikwete
Population
22,015,576
46,912,768
Life Expectancy
81.900 years
53.140 years
Capital City
Canberra
Largest city
Sydney (population: 4,394,580)
Dar es Salaam (population: 2,698,650)
Human Development Index
0.965
0.503
GDP per capita
$40,800 US
Literacy Rate
99%
69.4%
Corruption Perception Index
8.7
3
Percentage of Women in Parliament
29.6%
30.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
5.100%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
federal parliamentary democracy
republic
Independence date
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
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)
mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Languages
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Exports
coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
External Debt
$1,376,000,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
46
0
Location
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
Area
7,741,220 km sq
947,300 km sq
Coastline
25,760 km
1,424 km
Climate
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
