|
Country
|
New Zealand | 
Australia |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: John Key
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
|
|
Population
|
4,327,944
| 22,015,576
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
80.710 years
| 81.900 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Wellington
| Canberra
|
|
Largest city
|
| Auckland (population: 417,910) | Sydney (population: 4,394,580) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.944
| 0.965
|
| GDP per capita |
$28,000 US
| $40,800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
9.3
| 8.7
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
33.1%
| 29.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Graeme Hart ($4.5bn US)
| Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
6.500%
| 5.100%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| federal parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
26 September 1907 (from UK)
| 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
|
| Religions |
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
| 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)
|
| Languages |
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
| English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
|
| Exports |
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
| coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
|
| External Debt |
$85,650,000,000 $
| $1,376,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
| 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 |
1.000%
| 3.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
9
| 46
|
| Location |
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
| Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
|
| Area |
267,710 km sq
| 7,741,220 km sq
|
| Coastline |
15,134 km
| 25,760 km
|
| Climate |
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
| generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
|
|
|
|
