Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
Population
313,847,465
22,015,576
Life Expectancy
78.490 years
81.900 years
Capital City
Washington, DC
Canberra
Largest city
New York City (population: 8,008,280)
Sydney (population: 4,394,580)
Human Development Index
0.95
0.965
GDP per capita
$49,000 US
$40,800 US
Literacy Rate
99%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
7.3
8.7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
16.6%
29.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
William Gates III ($40.0bn US)
Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
Unemployment Rate
9.000%
5.100%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
federal parliamentary democracy
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Religions
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
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 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
External Debt
$14,710,000,000,000 $
$1,376,000,000,000 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)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
3.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
46
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Area
9,826,675 km sq
7,741,220 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
25,760 km
Climate
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
