Australia 

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surrounded by sea, Australia consists mainly of a vast continent with several islands within its proximity. The population of Australia is mainly situated around the East and West coast of the continent. This is because these areas are the most hospitable areas to live in. Because of its size, Australia is known to have a wide variety of climates. These range from snowy mountains and forests to grasslands and a large deserts in its center.            

Known for being a continent and a state, Australia, meaning Latin for Southern land, is considered to be a regional anomaly. Despite consisting mainly of people of European descent, it is located on the other side of the world. It also has a fairly high standard of living, even though the majority of the continent is made out of desert. Other landmarks that are associated with Australia are its Sydney Opera House as well as the largest coral reef in the world called the great barrier reef. Prior to European arrival, the continent was inhabited by the aboriginals, which led nomad lives. The first Europeans were of Dutch descent and arrived in Australia in 1606. After 10 years Australia was called new Holland. This changed in 1770 when the British took control over the Australian territory and set up a penile colony in order to transport more than 160,000 British that were convicted in the United Kingdom. The penal colonies transformed into states and in 1901 these states united and became independent from Great Britain.          

Australia has approximately 58,751 km² or 22,683 mi.² of surface water. This ranks Australia as the 13th state with the highest amount of surface water.         

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

The main source of water is groundwater which is located primarily in Western Australia. This water is mainly used for food production, manufacturing, as well as the mining industry. It is estimated that around 0.76% of Australia consists of water which ranks it the 109th state with the largest share of water.          

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Most of its drinking water is extracted from water basins and groundwater which is being processed by its government and the quality of the water is relatively low and is non-drinkable. 

Due to the vastness of the continent, the climate of Australia varies widely. It is known to have a tropical desert, a temperate climate and a grassland climate. The largest part of Australia is made up of a desert climate, and a tropical climate in the north and in the eastern and western part temperate climates. On average temperature is around 19.47°C for 67.5°F. This ranks Australia as the 110th warmest state in the world.           

Temperature

Its average high temperature occurs during the period of September until March when the average temperature rises to about 23.5°C or 74.3°F which ranks Australia during its warmer periods as the 119th warmest state in the world.          

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

The colder periods are between April and July when the average temperature is around 11.7°C or 53.6°F this ranks Australia as the 71st coldest state in the world. 

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

There is a wide range of precipitation throughout the continent. In the northern part of Australia precipitation mainly takes place when the monsoon season starts between October and April. Rainfall also regularly occurs in the southern parts of Australia. The central area of Australia receives almost no precipitation. On average, Australia receives 79.15 cm or 31.16 inches of rainfall annually. This ranks Australia as the 121st state with the highest precipitation in the world.          

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital, Canberra is home to around 450,000 inhabitants and is located in the southeastern part of Australia. The capital that is closest to Canberra is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 2321 km or 1422 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Canberra is Lisbon, Portugal with a distance of 18.042 kilometers or 11.210 miles          

Australia has an open market economy with a free trade policy with limited government interference on imports and exports. The Australian economy is a service-based economy which represents around 70% of total GDP. In the last decades, Australia has experienced a continuous economic growth. This has led to low unemployment as well as a low external debt. Another large factor that is contributing to the Australian economy is the rise of Asian economies which are in high demand of hydrocarbons from Australia. Its main export products are gold, hydrocarbons, animal related products and transport equipment. Its main export partners are mainly China and Japan which combined represent over 50% total exports. Its imported goods mainly come from China and the United States with respectively 25% and 12%.          

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

 

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Australia is a member of 20 international economic organizations. This ranks Australia as the 13th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following economic organizations: 

  • Asian Development Bank 
  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 
  • Bank for International Settlements 
  • Financial Action Task Force 
  • International Energy Agency 
  • International Development Law Organization 
  • International Monetary Fund 
  • OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development  
  • World Bank Group 
  • World Customs Organization 
  • World Trade Organization 
  • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 
  • Indian Ocean Rim Association 
  • International Energy Agency 
  • Energy Charter Treaty 
  • Nuclear Energy Agency 
  • International Renewable Energy Agency 
  • International Solar Alliance 
  • G20 
  • Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law 

The Australian GDP amounts to a total of more than US$1.3 trillion. This ranks the Australian GDP as the 13th highest in the world representing a share of 1.6% of the total global GDP.           

The GDP per capita in Australia is around US$53,000. This ranks Australia is the 14th highest average income per person globally.           

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Dominican citizen makes.

The GDP per surface area, however, equates to US$175,761 per square kilometer or US$455,290 per square mile. This ranks Australia as the 130th highest GDP per square surface area.           

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchase power parity of Australian citizens amounts to approximately US$51,000 per person. This ranks Australian citizens with the 21st highest purchasing power in the world.           

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of the Dominican Republic with the rest of the world.

 

 

 

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in the Dominican Republic. 

Australia has a population of over 25 million inhabitants. Its demographics are made up of more than 250 ethnicities. The vast majority of Australians, approximately 90%, are all of European descent. The remaining 10% mainly consists of people of Asian descent as well as aboriginals. This is also reflected in the languages that are spoken in Australia. The official language in Australia is English, however, Chinese represents around 3.7% of the total population and Arab around 0.5%. and 87.1% of Australians live in urbanized areas. 

Population

Population density

Due to its large size which is largely uninhabitable, Australia has one of the world’s lowest population densities in the world with an average population of 3.2 people per square kilometer or 8.5 people per square mile. This ranks Australia as the 192nd most densely populated state in the world          

Emigration

In total, around 550,000 people have emigrated from Australia, which corresponds to roughly 2.18% of the total population and a share of 0.22% of total global emigration. The people that have emigrated mainly originate from Southeast Asian states that have returned to their state of origin.           

Immigration

Due to its wealth and continuous growing economy, Australia has been a well desired working destination. At present, it is estimated that around 7.3 million inhabitants of Australia are migrants which represents 28.5% of the total population. This ranks Australia as the ninth largest host of immigrants and corresponds to nearly 3% of total global immigration.          

Literacy

Literacy in Australia has been estimated to be around 98.6%. This ranks Australia is the 48th most literate state in the world. Due to mandatory primary and secondary education, the literacy rate among younger inhabitants is relatively higher compared to older inhabitants that are more likely to not have completed basic education.           

Health

Healthcare is mainly regulated by the six territories, or provinces of Australia and are funded by the Ministry of health. Healthcare consists of a basic monthly fee which fully covers the medical expenses of public hospitals and partially covers these expenses in private hospitals. The average life expectancy is estimated to be around 83.9 years with women averaging around 85.8 years and men averaging around 82.1 years. This ranks Australia as the 21st most healthy state in the world.           

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

During the first period of European settlement, Christianity became the largest religion in Australia. In recent decades, immigrants from other parts of the world, including Arab states as well as Asian states, has diversified religion within Australia. At present, Australia is ranks as the 35th most multi religious state in the world.           

Christianity was established in New South Wales in 1788 by Great Britain. Currently, it is still the largest religion within Australia but it has seen a decline in recent decades. At present, it is estimated that around 64.6% of the Australian population adheres to the Christian faith. This makes Australia the 102nd most Christian state in the world.          

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

It is estimated that around 2.6% of the Australian population adheres to the Islamic faith. The number of adherents to Islam shows a growing trend for the future demographics of Australia. The Muslim population is mainly represented by the two main branches of Islam, Sunni and Shia with their origins, as well as their ethnicity, scattered across the world.         

Buddhism is a minority religion within Australia. It is estimated that around 2.7% of Australians adheres to the Buddhist religion which makes it the third largest religion after Islam and Christianity.          

Buddhism (share of the total population)

It is estimated that around 1.5% of the Australian population is Hindu. The origin of Hinduism in Australia comes from the admittance of Hindus from India that were assigned to work at several plantations throughout Australia. The majority of Hindus within Australia originate from India, with smaller shares originating from Fiji, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Nepal.         

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

The history of the Jews in Australia started with the arrival of Jews that traveled along the European colonists. Since then, several small Jewish communities have sprung up throughout Australia. However, the share of Jewish people is relatively small with around 0.48% of the population adhering to the Jewish faith.          

Other religions (share of the total population)

Witchcraft, a popular religion at the end of the 1950s was practiced by a couple of thousand people in Australia. At present this number is around 8000. Other religions such as paganism have a higher amount of followers with around 32,000. In total, the amount of non-mainstream religions amounts to 1% of the total population.          

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Atheism, or nonreligion, represents about 16% of the Australian population. However, this number is disputed by the atheist foundation of Australia which claims that between 22 and 30% of Australians do not adhere to any religion.           

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Australia spends about US$25.9 billion on its military which corresponds to 1.9% of its total GDP and around 1.3% of total global military spending. This ranks Australia as the 13th most funded military in the world.    

The Australian military is officially known as the Australian Defense force. Its main task is to serve the national interest of Australia and it does so with the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Army.        

Military membership

Australia is ranked as the 31st most militarily interconnected state in the world being a member of eight military organizations. These are:  

  • ANZUS 
  • Conference on Disarmament 
  • Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 
  • Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
  • Wassenaar Arrangement 
  • Nuclear Suppliers Group 
  • Australia Group 
  • Missile Technology Control Regime 
  • Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization 
  • Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative  

Military membership

International wars

In total, Australia has partaken in 14 international wars. These are: 

  • Second Boer War 1899-1901 

  • Russian Civil War 1917-1911 

  • World War II 1939-1945 

  • Korean conflict 1945-present 

  • Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 

  • Korean War 1950-1953 

  • Vietnam War 1955-1975 

  • Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation 1963-1966 
  • Moro insurgency in the Philippines 1969-present 
  • Gulf War 1990-1991 
  • Civil war in Afghanistan 1996-1001 
  • Iraq War 2003-2011 
  • Syrian Civil War 2011-present 
  • Persian Gulf crisis 2019-present         

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Australia is a member of 16 international political organizations. These are: 

  • Member states of the United Nations 
  • International Labour Organization 
  • Colombo Plan 
  • Pacific Islands Forum 
  • Pacific Regional Environment Programme 
  • Pacific Community 
  • Commonwealth of Nations 
  • International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property 
  • UNIDROIT 
  • International Criminal Court 
  • Interpol 
  • Permanent Court of Arbitration 
  • Global Green Growth Institute 
  • Western European and Others Group 
  • International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 
  • World Organization for Animal Health 

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Australia’s values are based on freedom and equality. As one of the oldest continuous democracies, Australia is ranked as the seventh most democratic state in the world.           

Democracy/Dictatorship

The political structure of Australia is mainly based on federalism from the United States as well as political systems that originate from the United Kingdom. Based on this, Australia has a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy which has a shared power structure between the individual Australian states and the central government.          

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Austria.