Australia in short. Australia

Australia

Australia is the smallest and driest continent on the planet, and also the flattest known in the world. The surrounding seas and oceans have little effect on the climate of the interior regions, so there is little rainfall.

About half of the country's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. But along the northeastern coast, where it rains more often, rainforests grow. As you move inland, they are replaced by light eucalyptus forests. Several types of eucalyptus grow here. The leaves and bark of these trees are rich in essential oils that are widely used in medicine and technology.

The fauna of the fifth continent is peculiar. Only in Australia are marsupial mammals found: kangaroo, small, charming, tree-dwelling marsupial bear - koala, marsupial squirrels and rats. But Australia's main marsupial animal is the kangaroo. Their cubs are born weak, small, so their mothers wear them in a bag - a fold of skin on the belly. Of the many kangaroo species (about 40-50), 9-12 can climb trees. They are called that: tree kangaroos. The length of the animals is about 60 cm. They feed on the buds and leaves of plants, lianas, they love ferns, berries, and fruits. Their front legs are somewhat longer than the hind legs. All fingers have long hooked claws, good for helping them to cling to twigs and branches. If necessary, they can jump from a height of 18 m without any harm to themselves.

Only in Australia can you find oviparous mammals: the platypus and the echidna. Scientists believed they were completely extinct millions of years ago. This is why Australia is often referred to as the Museum of Living Fossils. There are many birds in Australia. The largest of them is the ostrich emu, the most beautiful are the elegant, like a rainbow, birds of paradise, the funniest mockingbirds. Budgerigars fly in huge flocks. There are no large deep rivers in Australia. Many rivers dry up periodically - they are called "cries" ("streams"). Droughts with formidable forest fires after heavy torrential rains give way to devastating floods.

In the bowels of Australia there are almost all types of minerals: gold, silver, copper and iron ores, coal and bauxite, uranium, aluminum. Many of these riches are exported to other countries. The most important branch of the economy is sheep breeding; sheep wool, cheese go to many countries in Europe, Asia and America.

The first European ship landed on the shores of Australia in the 17th century. Among the discoverers of the mainland were the Dutch and the British. From 1770 Australia became an English possession. In 1788, a ship from England landed on the east coast of Australia with several hundred convicts on board. The British government chose Australia as a place of exile. The convicts began to settle down on the continent. And the indigenous people, the aborigines, began to be pushed back to the most inconvenient areas for life. Now there are no more than 250 thousand of them. The appearance of the Australian aborigines is characterized by the features of Negroids and Caucasians: like Negroids - dark skin color, a wide nose, thick lips, like Europeans - long wavy hair, a large beard. They are divided into numerous tribes and speak different but closely related languages.

The natives are good hunters, fishermen, they invented the boomerang. The natives are musical and masterful in performing their national dances. With the support of democratic circles in Australia, Aboriginal people are fighting for equality in work and wages, for the right to their ancestral land, for the preservation of their culture and identity. The mainland Australia is occupied by one state - the highly developed industrial-agrarian capitalist power Australia.

Australians are mostly descendants of immigrants from England, Scotland, Ireland and speak English. They are engaged in agriculture, work in mines and mines, in metallurgical and chemical plants, in weaving and shoe factories, and produce cars. In 1988 Australia celebrated its 200th anniversary. This is a significant milestone in the life of a country enjoying considerable international prestige. The Australian people seek to determine their own destiny by working with their Asian neighbors to ease international tensions. In 1985, the Australian government signed the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.

The country is expanding ties with many countries of the world. ... Australians are proud of their history. The names of Australian writers and poets Henry Lawson, Katharina Pritchard, Patrick White and others are known to many peoples. The Australian mainland is inhabited relatively recently, and therefore the country is not rich in ancient monuments. Australians have no national costume. They wear European clothes. Many Australians spend their leisure time in the same way as the people of Great Britain. They go to clubs, go in for sports. Swimming is the most popular. Other sports are also developed: rowing, sailing regattas. Even the smallest town always has a tennis court. Australians love car races, they are fond of track and field athletics, rugby, golf. Equestrian sports are popular.

Bibliography

Bolshakov V.V. Green continent in the blue ocean: Stories about Australia. M .: Malysh, 1982.

Sakharnov S.V. How the Earth was discovered. M .: Malysh, 1984.S. 74-87.

For the preparation of this work were used materials from the site 5.km.ru/

The message about Australia, the only state that occupies the entire continent, is set out in this article.

Report on the topic "Australia"

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and the only one to cover the entire continent. Its full name is the Australian Union.

In addition to the mainland, the state also includes adjacent islands, the largest of which is the island of Tasmania. The mainland is separated from Tasmania by the Bass Strait. Its area is about 8 million km2

The continent is washed by the waters of two great oceans - the Pacific from the east and south and the Indian - from the west and 4 seas

Australia stretched 3,180 km from north to south and 4,000 km from east to west. It is the smallest continent on the planet.

Australia climate

Australia is the hottest part of the southern hemisphere's land mass and has a desert and semi-desert climate. Most of Australia lies in the tropics.

Only a small area of ​​Tasmania is in the temperate zone. The winter period falls on such months - June, July, August. Snow falls occasionally and does not lie for a long time.

The average air temperature is characterized by an even temperature course - 23 - 24C. The amount of precipitation is from 1000 to 1500 mm. The further south the mainland is, the more noticeable how the seasons change. In the western and central regions of Australia in the summer, in December-February, the temperature rises to + 30, and in the winter, June-August, the temperature drops to + 10-15C. In the central part of the continent, there is a sharp change in temperatures - in summer it rises to + 45C, and at night it drops below zero, to -4-6C.

Relief and minerals of Australia

Australia is the lowest continent: in almost half of its surface, the average heights do not exceed 300m. Since the continent is based on an old platform, plains predominate in its relief. Much of Australia belongs to the West Australian Highlands.

It should be noted that there are no glaciers, active volcanoes and earthquakes in Australia.

The state is rich in minerals. Its provision with natural resources is 20 times higher than the world average. It is provided with bauxite, zirconium, uranium, coal, manganese, gold, diamonds, oil and natural gas.

Major cities in Australia

The capital of Australia is the city of Canberra. The capital is large in area, but there are practically no high-rise buildings, mostly cottages.

The population of Australia is 24 million people, with most of the population living in the largest cities of the country, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and their suburbs.

From 1787 to 1867 Australia was the destination for criminals from England. This is why the official language of Australia is English.

Rivers and lakes of Australia

Major rivers of the mainland are Darling, Murray, Bur-dekin, Hunter, Fitzroy.

In the south of the continent, there is a network of large salt lakes - Frome, Eyre, Torrance, Gairdner. The largest freshwater lake is the artificial lake Argyle.

Australia landmarks

National Maritime Museum, Museum of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium, Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Royal Mint, St. Patrick's Cathedral, National Gallery of Victoria, Gallery of South Australia, Victoria Museum and St. Francis Cathedral Xavier.

Industry of Australia

One of the oldest industries is mining. The main type of energy fuel - coal for coal mining Australia is in the top ten countries in the world, in terms of exports it takes one of the first places in the world. Machine building and metalworking are well developed.

The textile and clothing industry is well developed.

Agriculture in Australia is also well developed. Sheep, cattle and pigs are raised here. The main export crop is wheat, as well as: barley, rice, oats, sugar cane, cotton, tobacco. Fruit growing and viticulture are highly developed.

Nature of Australia

The most common trees in Australia are eucalyptus and Australian acacia, mimosa.

The most famous representatives of the Australian fauna are platypuses and echidnas, koalas, kangaroos, wombats and such birds as: emu, cockatoo and kookaburra.

And Australia is home to the largest number of poisonous snakes and spiders in the world!

We hope that the report on Australia helped you and you learned a lot of interesting things. And you can leave your message about Australia through the comment form.

The official name is The Commonwealth of Australia.

Located on the continent of Australia, the island of Tasmania and a number of small coastal islands. Area 7 692 024 km2 (including the island of Tasmania, 68 400 km2). By area, Australia is the smallest continent, but the 6th country in the world. In terms of territory, Australia is almost equal to the United States (without Alaska) and about 50% larger than Europe (without the European part of the former USSR). The population is 19.8 million people. (2002). The state language is English. The capital is Canberra (323 thousand people, 2002). Public Holidays: Australia Day on January 26 (established in honor of the landing on this day in 1788 in the current Sydney Bay of a team of the so-called First Fleet that arrived from Great Britain); ANZAC Day April 25 (in memory of the joint Australian-New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which landed on this day in 1915 in a small bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, Memorial Day of Australian veterans of all wars); Birthday of the English monarch, 2nd Saturday in June (not celebrated in Western Australia), National Flag Day on September 3; Memorial Day (veterans of the 1st World War) November 11. The monetary unit is the Australian dollar.

Australia has seven administrative units that have the status of "outer territories": Norfolk Island and the Coral Sea Islands in the Pacific Ocean, Christmas Island, Ashmore Islands and Cartier Island, Heard and McDonald Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean, and Australian Antarctic Territory.

Member of the UN (since 1945), IMF (since 1965), GATT / WTO (since 1948), OECD (since 1971), APEC (since 1989), Pacific Community (since 1947, previously - South Pacific Commission), Pacific Islands Forum (since 1971, formerly South Pacific Forum).

Australia landmarks

Geography of Australia

The northernmost point of the country is 10 ° 41 South (Cape York, Queensland), the southernmost point is 43 ° 38 South (Cape South-West, Tasmania Island). The distance between them is 3680 km. The southernmost point on the mainland is latitude 39 ° 08 South (South Point, Victoria). From it to Cape York - 3180 km. The most westerly point is 113 ° 09 E (Steep Point, Western Australia), the easternmost point is 153 ° 38 E (Cape Byron, New South Wales). The distance between them is approx. 4000 km

In the north, Australia is washed by the shallow Timor and Arafur Seas, in the west and south by the Indian Ocean. To the east of the continent are the shallow Coral and Tasman Seas. The length of the mostly weakly indented coastline (including the island of Tasmania and offshore islands) is 59,736 km. The Great Barrier Reef (the largest on Earth) stretches along the northeastern coast for almost 2000 km. The island of Tasmania is separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait (over 200 km wide). The "closest" neighbors of Australia are separated from it by vast bodies of water. The closest is Papua New Guinea (150 km north).

The landscapes of the oldest continent on Earth are from several million to hundreds and even thousands of millions of years old. It is the lowest and flattest (altitude above sea level is mainly 100-500 m) and the driest of the inhabited continents, representing a huge plateau, concave in the central part with raised edges.

Vast plains occupy 95% of the continent, mostly lifeless areas of deserts and swamps, not at all like the "green continent", as Australia is called in Russia (and earlier in the USSR). To the west are the largest deserts: the Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert and Great Victoria Desert. The driest area is the vast Central Lowland. Mountain rises occupy 5% of the territory, but only 2% falls on the heights of St. 1000 m. In the western part of the continent there are several dilapidated mountain systems (the highest points are from 1251 to 1531 m). Closer to the center of the continent, the world's largest giant stone monolith Uluru (Ayrs Rock) with a diameter of 8 km and a height of 335 m rises alone. The Great Dividing Range, which stretches along the eastern coast, is also badly destroyed (height - 800-1000 m). In fact, only the Australian Alps located in the south of the ridge are mountains (here in the Snowy Mountains there is the highest point of the country - Mount Kosciuszko, 2228 m).

The river network of Australia in the interior is poorly developed, 60% of its territory is occupied by drainless areas. There are almost no constantly navigable rivers. The largest water system Murray (2520 km long) - Darling (approx. 2000 km) is located in the southeast. The Murray and its tributary, the Murrambidgee, maintain a constant current, and the Darling is lost in the sands during dry seasons before reaching Murray, making it temporarily unnavigable. The island of Tasmania has many short and fast, full-flowing rivers all year round.

In the south of the Central Lowland, from the dried-up sea, there are drainless salt lakes that are completely filled with water only during rare rains: Eyre (9500 km2, here the lowest point of the continent is 16 m below sea level), Torrance (5900 km2), Gärdner (4300 km2) and others. Lakes formed in volcanic craters and coastal lakes are widespread. For the island of Tasmania, glacial lakes are most typical. The continent is rich in groundwater accumulated in huge artesian basins at a depth of 20 m to 2 km.

The soil cover of small thickness prevails, represented by soils of gray-earth (desert), gray-brown (steppe), red-brown and brown (forest-steppe and forest), podzolic (tropics, subtropics) types.

The flora and fauna of the isolated continent is very distinctive and diverse. Dense bushes are found in deserts and arid parts. Evergreen rainforests in areas with sufficient moisture. Natural forests account for approx. 21% of Australia's territory (with 81% eucalyptus and 10% acacia). There are more than 500 species of eucalyptus - from low-growing (10-12 m high) to 100-meter giants, acacias - more than 600 species. Palm trees, pandanuses, tree ferns, etc. also grow. Beech forests grow on the island of Tasmania, evergreen meadows are widespread.

The animal world of Australia is adorned with the koala marsupial, the dingo, the wombat, the platypus and the echidna. Among mammals, there are about 120 species of marsupials - from various species of kangaroos, martens, squirrels to tiny desert mice. Possum is very common. There are numerous types of lizards, snakes (including venomous ones), river and sea turtles, but only two types of crocodiles. Out of about 700 bird species approx. 500 - endemic: emu, kookaburra, cockatoo parrots, birds of paradise, cassowaries, black swans, etc. There are more than 1200 species of fish and fish breeding in the washing waters. There are whales, seals, sharks.

Natural resources are of global importance. Recoverable reserves of tantalum (over 90% of the world's reserves), mineral sands (rutile - 44%, zircon - 40%, ilmenite - 29%), nickel (34%), uranium (29%), lead (23%) and zinc (18%) are the largest in the world. Australia is in the top six countries in terms of reserves of bauxite, stone (6th place, 6% of world reserves) and brown (2nd, 20%) coal, cobalt, copper (3rd, 7%), industrial (3- e, 15%) and precious (and semi-precious) diamonds, gold (3rd) and silver (4th, 11%), iron (4th, 10%) and manganese (4th, 7%) ores ... There are also large reserves of natural gas, oil, tin, tungsten, shale sands, etc. Opal is the stone of Australia (95% of the world's reserves).

The change in climatic seasons in Australia is the opposite of the change in the Northern Hemisphere. Where there are all four seasons, the coldest months are July and August, and the warmest are January and February. About 40% of Australia's territory lies north of the southern Tropic of Capricorn in tropical and subtropical zones with two seasons - rainy (November-May) and dry (June-October). In the coastal part of the tropical zone, on average + 23-28 ° С, the annual precipitation is 1000-2000 mm (in some places up to 3500-4000 mm). But 80% of the country's territory receives less than 600 mm, and 50% - less than 300 mm of precipitation per year. Droughts are frequent, incl. long-term (from 3 to 6 years in a row), which are often followed by floods. Most parts of Australia are periodically exposed to extreme temperatures (+ 40-50 ° C during the day), and short-term nighttime temperatures below zero (-4-5 ° C) have been recorded even in the continental tropical zone. In the zones of the central deserts, the climate is sharply continental, the temperature changes during the day: from + 45-50 ° С during the day and up to -6-10 ° С at night. Tasmania has moderately warm winters (sometimes the snow melts quickly) and cool, humid summers.

Population of Australia

Australia is the least populated continent inhabited, with a population density of 2.57 people. per 1 km2 (December 2002). Up to 90% of the population is concentrated in cities and towns, St. 60% - in 5 cities - "millionaires". The bulk of the population are descendants of immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, as well as from continental, especially southern, Europe. Approximately 200 thousand people - immigrants from the former USSR. Australians of European descent are approx. 90% of the country's population. Immigration plays an important role in population growth. In 1996-2001, it accounted for 40% of the total population growth. The proportion of the country's residents born abroad continues to increase slowly, reaching 23.6% in 2000. Another 20% are second-generation Australians (one or both parents were born outside Australia). In the past three decades, the share of Asian immigration (Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipinos, etc.) has been growing. The share of Europeans in the annual influx of immigrants fell from more than 80% in the early years after World War II to 40% at the beginning. 2000s The total proportion of people of Asian descent is approx. 7%. The number of the indigenous population, aborigines, having sharply decreased after the start of European immigration, has practically recovered - 424 thousand people, or 2.1% of the total population of the country (December 2002).

Official English is also the language of international communication. As a result of the emergence of a distinctive Australian culture, a kind of Australian version of the English language with a characteristic accent and vocabulary was formulated. Roughly 80% of the population speaks only English. In addition to it, Italian, Greek, Chinese are most used. In total, more than 200 languages ​​are spoken in the country, of which St. 60 are aboriginal.

The average rate of population growth in the country in the last 10 years was 1.3% (higher than that of the main developed countries). The natural increase fell from 8.5% in 1981 to 6.4% in 2001. The birth rate fell over the same period from 15.8% to 13%, and the death rate fell from 7.3% to 6.6%. Child mortality decreased from 10.0 to 5.2 people. per 1000 newborns. Life expectancy is one of the highest in the world: 77.1 years for men and 82.3 years for women. The retirement age for men is 65 years, for women - 60 years. The average age of the population is slowly increasing, reaching almost 35 years in 2001. According to the 2001 census, women accounted for 50.65% and men 49.35% of the total population of the country (compared to 50.37 and 49.63% in 1991). The age structure of the population: 0-14 years old - 21%, 15-64 years old - 66.5%, 65 years and older - 12.5%. St. 95% of the population can read and write. In 1991-2001, the proportion of Australians in the 25-64 age group with specialized (vocational) secondary or higher education increased from 46% to 50%.

Among the adherents of St. 90 religious beliefs are historically dominated by Christians. However, according to the 2001 census, their share compared to 1996 decreased from 71 to 68%. The largest groups of Christians are represented by Catholics - 26.6% (it was 27%), followers of the Anglican Church - 20.7% (21%), the United Church - 6.7% (7.5%), Presbyterians and Reformers - 3.8 % (3.4%) and orthodox - 2.8% (2.8%). The share of adherents of Hinduism increased from 1.1 to 1.9%, followers of Islam - from 1.1 to 1.5%. The share of non-believers and undecided - 27.2% (was 25.6%) of the country's inhabitants.

History of Australia

Aborigines moved to Australia from Asia at least 50 thousand years ago. Before the arrival of the Europeans, they used stone tools, hunted and collected natural food. The maximum estimate of their number at that time was up to 750 thousand people. They were divided into about 30 tribes and spoke about 500 languages. In the 17th century. the coast of the north and west of the continent was explored by Dutch sailors. In 1642 Abel Tasman discovered what is now Tasmania. The real development of the continent by the British began with the famous J. Cook, whose expedition landed on the eastern shores of the unknown South Land (in Latin Terra Incognito Australis, hence the name Australia) not far from the future Sydney Bay in 1770. Cook declared the lands discovered by him to be British possession of New South Wales. All R. January 1788 to the shores of Australia arrived the so-called. The first fleet with 750 convicts on board and their guards - British troops. On January 26 (Australia Day) they began landing in what is now Sydney Harbor. The head of the expedition, naval officer A. Phillip, became the first governor-general of New South Wales. The sending of convicts to the Australian colonies continued for several decades, but free settlers from the British Isles also arrived in increasing numbers. In the beginning. 19th century exploration of the interior regions of the continent was launched, which continued with varying success until the 1930s. After New South Wales, other colonies were formed - Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia. The "gold rush" in the 1850s and 60s had a great influence on the economic development of the colonies. in Victoria, she gave at that time up to 1/3 of the world's gold production. The main features of British capitalism were transferred to the continent: the socio-economic structure, technical and technological achievements, the formation of the party-political system began. In 1855 in Victoria, for the first time in the world, a secret ballot rule was introduced, called the "Australian vote". A distinctive feature of the colonies is a strong trade union movement. Back at the end. 19th century here an 8-hour working day was established. During the 2nd half. 19th century the Australian colonies began to feel more and more the need for economic and political unification. This process formally ended with the adoption by the British Parliament in July 1900 of a legislative act (prepared by Australian politicians of the text of the Constitution of a single state) on the establishment from January 1, 1901 of a single, federal, self-governing, with broad powers in the field of internal development of the colony of Great Britain - the Commonwealth of Australia. At the same time, in 1901, the Northern Territory was allocated from South Australia under the control of the federal government (since 1978 it received the status of self-governing). By 1927, the capital of the Federation, Canberra (which replaced the temporary capital, Melbourne), was specially built. It was allocated into an independent administrative territory (since 1988 it received the status of self-governing). In 1931, the British Parliament passed a legislative act - the so-called. Statute of Westminster. According to it, Australia received the status of a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations, gained full independence in internal and external affairs while maintaining formal ties with the British crown (the head of state is the English monarch, the inhabitants of the dominions are British subjects, etc.). On the side of the metropolis, Australian troops participated in the Boer War, in World War I, fighting mainly in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. There were also several clashes with the German Navy in the area of ​​the island of New Guinea. In World War II, Australian units took an active part not only in Europe and Africa, but also in East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, defending their own security from Japanese aggression. As one of the victorious powers in 1945, Australia became one of the founding states of the UN. After the war, taking into account its lessons from the point of view of the country's security, especially the low population and underdeveloped industry, the Australian government implemented a program of widespread immigration from continental Europe and took measures to accelerate the industrialization of the country by strengthening the protection of the internal market. Economic and political relations with Great Britain gradually became less close. In 1948 the Australian Citizenship Act was passed, in 1953 the National Flag Act. The accession of Great Britain to the EEC in 1973 stimulated the renaming of the British queen in relation to Australia as Queen of Australia. The decision of the Governor-General in 1975 to use his constitutional right to dissolve parliament and call early elections triggered an acute internal political crisis that further weakened already formal ties with the crown. In 1984, instead of "God Save the Queen", the song "Go Australia Beautiful" became the national anthem of Australia. Since the adoption of the Australian Law by the Federal Parliament in 1986, any laws passed by the British Parliament have not extended their jurisdiction to Australia. The Privy Council in London finally lost the appeal functions of the last-tier court, and this right was completely transferred to the High (Supreme) Court of Australia. In the beginning. 1990s the (Labor) government of the country began to promote the idea of ​​turning Australia into a republic. Although in the referendum on November 6, 1999, she did not receive a majority of votes, the country's movement towards one or another system of republican government is objective. The scandalous resignation of Governor-General P.J. Holingworth in May 2003 again exacerbated the question of the future of the system of governorship in Australia. In the postwar period, Australia's foreign policy and foreign economic relations began to shift more and more towards East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The United States is becoming the main military-political ally and foreign economic partner of the country. This was symbolized by the conclusion in 1951 of the ANZUS Pact - a military-political alliance between the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Australia supported Washington's policy of "pushing back and containing" communism in Asia, and small continents of Australian troops took part in the Korean and Vietnamese wars. A symbolic act of the importance of economic ties with the United States was the renaming in 1966 under Prime Minister R. Menzies, who called himself “a British to the laces of his shoes,” the Australian pound into the Australian dollar. At the same time, the sphere of independent foreign policy and especially foreign economic interests of Australia expanded. In the beginning. 1970s was canceled by the so-called. the policy of "White Australia", according to which restrictions on Asian immigration were imposed for decades, Australian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the country began to actively develop ties with the countries of East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. Even before World War II, some of the British colonies in Oceania (the largest of them Papua New Guinea), which had already gained independence from Australia, were included in the dominion's sphere of "responsibility". In 1947, Australia and a number of other colonial powers formed the South Pacific Commission, which in 1997 was renamed the Pacific Community. It includes the former and current owners of colonial possessions in Oceania, independent, semi-independent and dependent states and territories of this part of the world. In 1971, the South Pacific Forum (from October 2000 - the Forum of the Pacific Islands) was formed, which, in addition to Australia and New Zealand, includes only the independent states of Oceania. Through these regional organizations and on a bilateral basis, Australia provides significant assistance to the socio-economic and political development of the Oceanic states, actively participates in resolving the interstate and internal ethnic conflicts existing here.

Government and political system of Australia

Australia is a democratic, independent state, at the same time a constitutional monarchy and a federation, based on a combination of British and American models of state organization, ensuring freedom of speech, religious beliefs and the creation of public organizations. The Australian Constitution was adopted by the British Parliament Act on July 9, 1900. Changes or additions to the Constitution can only be adopted in a national referendum, must be approved by a majority in 4 of the 6 states and both houses of the federal parliament.

Administratively it is divided into 6 states - New South Wales (area 800.6 thousand km2, population 6.67 million people, December 2002), Victoria (227.42 thousand km2, 4.90 million people), Queensland (1 , 73 million km2, 3.75 million people), Western Australia (2.53 million km2, 1.94 million people), South Australia (983.48 thousand km2, 1.52 million people) and Tasmania ( 68.4 thousand km2, 474 thousand people), as well as two territories - the Australian Capital Territory (2.36 thousand km2, 323 thousand people) and the Northern Territory (1.35 million km2, 197 thousand people .).

Largest cities (2001 census, million people): Sydney (4.2), Melbourne (3.5), Brisbane (1.65), Perth (1.4), Adelaide (1.11), Newcastle (0, 5), Canberra, Wollongong (0.271), Hobart (0.198).

The head of state is formally the Queen of England (bearing the title of Queen of Australia and head of the Commonwealth in the country). At the federal level, it is represented by the Governor General, and in each state by the Governor. The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia, usually for a term of 5 years and currently only from Australian citizens. Since August 2003, the Governor General is Major General (Ret.) F. Michael Jeffrey. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral federal parliament, elected by universal, compulsory voting (for non-participation - a fine), consisting of the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). The Senate has 76 senators (12 from each state and 2 from the territories), elected for 6 years (half of the senators are re-elected every 3 years simultaneously with the elections to the House of Representatives). The House of Representatives has 148 deputies (elected for 3 years on a preferential-proportional system). The number of seats won by federated entities in the House of Representatives is proportional to the number of voters, but at least 5 seats are reserved for each state. As for the territories, following the 2001 elections, the Northern Territory has one representative in the lower house, and the Australian Capital Territory has three.

Elections can be held ahead of schedule by the decision of the prime minister and with the formal approval of the dissolution of the lower house or both houses of parliament by the governor-general. The latter retains the constitutional right to dissolve parliament and call general elections. The party (or coalition of parties) that won the majority in the elections to the lower house forms the government, and its leader becomes the prime minister - the head of the executive branch. The prime minister should preferably be a member of the lower house, and ministers, formally appointed by the governor-general on the proposal of the prime minister, should be members of the lower house or senators. Since March 1996 the Prime Minister of Australia is John Howard, leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. The opposition leader is Mark Latham, the leader of the Australian Labor Party. The previous elections were held in November 2001, the next regular elections are to be held in 2004.

Among the prominent statesmen in Australia who have influenced various aspects of the country's development, many can be noted. Thus, A. Dickin served 3 times as prime minister in 1903-09, is considered the father of the Australian federation, since he made a decisive contribution to the design of the country's long-term internal political course, among the main elements of which were industrial protectionism, state arbitration in the field of labor relations, social paternalism states, policy of "White Australia" in the field of immigration and close ties with the metropolis. J. Monash is an Australian general who became famous in World War I in victorious hostilities against Germany in Europe (the largest Australian university, Monash University, is named after him). J. Curtin - Prime Minister during World War II (1941-45). Ben Chifley - Prime Minister in 1945-49, under him were formulated and began to be implemented programs of accelerated immigration and industrialization that covered the 1950-60s. G. Evatt - one of the most influential Labor politicians in the history of Australia, Minister of Justice and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1940s, led the Australian delegation to the UN organizational conference in 1945, took an active part in the development of the UN charter, leader of the opposition in 1950 -x years R. Menzies - Prime Minister in 1939-41 and 1949-66, the founder of the current Liberal Party of Australia (LPA), the longest stayed as head of government during the post-war economic recovery of the country and the longest rule of the LPA. R. Hawke - head of the country's largest trade union association - the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Prime Minister in 1983-91 and P. Keating - Federal Treasurer in 1983-91, Prime Minister in 1991-96 - initiators of profound reforms of the country's economy in 1980-90 -e years

All administrative units have their own legislatures and governments, enjoying significant autonomy (states - more, territory - less). The states have bicameral parliaments (except for Queensland, where it is unicameral) and their own Constitution. The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory have legislative assemblies. Many aspects of the country's life are regulated by the laws of the states (criminal law, education, road facilities, etc.). The state government is headed by the prime minister. In the territories, the chief executive is the chief minister. In each state and the Northern Territory there are local authorities (city, municipal, counties) - in total there are approx. 900.

The judicial system is based on legislative acts passed by the federal parliament and the legislative institutions of the subjects of the federation, on the remaining English laws and on English customary (unwritten) law. The highest court of the country is the High Court (the chief judge and 6 judges are appointed by the governor-general on the proposal of the prime minister), which is increasingly acquiring the features of a constitutional court in its practice. Since 1977, the Federal Court of Australia has been operating, combining the jurisdiction of the Industrial Court of Australia and the Federal Bankruptcy Court, as well as part of the functions of the High Court. Each state and territory has its own judicial hierarchy, headed by the Supreme Court of the state (territory).

Under the country's constitution, state parliaments can pass laws on a wider range of issues than the federal parliament, but federal laws take precedence over state laws. Therefore, many and the most diverse spheres of the country's socio-economic life are regulated exclusively by federal laws (bankruptcy, immigration, marriage and divorce, etc.).

The oldest political party is the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Labor movement was founded in the 1890s, developed in parallel in several colonies, with the creation of a single state it becomes a federal party, since 1908 it has a single name ALP for all Labor organizations in the country, is historically closely associated with the trade union movement. The Liberal Party of Australia (ALP), founded in 1944, is a conservative party of entrepreneurs, the upper middle class. The Agrarian Party was founded in 1916, in 1975 it was renamed the National Agrarian Party, and since 1982 - the National Party. Traditionally, it focuses on various segments of the urban and rural population of the country's agricultural regions, since 1949 acts as a junior partner of the LPA. The Australian Democratic Party was founded in 1977 by its less conservative members who seceded from the LPA. The coalition government of the Liberal and National parties has been in power since 1996. After World War II, the bipartisan coalition formed a government also in 1949-72 and 1975-83. Labor was in power in 1941-49, 1972-75, and 1983-96. The Australian Democratic Party is represented only in the Senate. In addition, there are quite a few small parties - from greens and communists to monarchists.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce is the most representative organization of Australian employers among the country's business associations. Through the chambers of commerce of the states and territories, it includes more than 350 thousand companies of various sizes and individual businessmen. Created in 1992 by the amalgamation of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Australian Industry. Represents the interests of the country's business community in interaction with the government and parliament, trade unions, Australian society in general, as well as with foreign counterparties. In addition, there are various industry and professional associations of the business community. The most important body of the heads of the largest corporations (with a total of more than 1 million employees) is the Business Council of Australia, formed in 1983.

Australia is characterized by a fairly high civil activity of the population, there are numerous public organizations that support or against something. For example, the Australian Republican Movement and Australians for constitutional monarchy, Australians for a better society and Australians against further immigration, etc. The relevance of this or that issue to Australian society leads to the constant emergence of new and the dissolution of some existing civil movements. The largest trade union organization is the Australian Council of Trade Unions, where most of the trade union organizations are collective members. However, in general, over the past two to three decades, the influence of the trade union movement in the country has declined.

In domestic policy, much attention is paid to the socio-political and socio-economic stability of the country, maintaining sustainable economic growth, developing a social security system on this basis, raising social standards, developing education and science, environmental problems, primarily preserving the unique environment of the continent. The diverse ethnic composition of immigration, especially since the 1970s, has set the development of harmonious relations between different cultures as an important task of domestic policy - the so-called. the policy of "multiculturalism". In the 2nd floor. 1980s The Australian government initiated a process of “reconciliation” between the Australian society and the Aborigines, aimed at eliminating the acute problems of their coexistence with European civilization and the injustices committed against the Aborigines in the past, to maintain their distinctive culture. However, this process is not easy.

Australia pursues an active foreign policy aimed at strengthening international security, acting, in particular, an active supporter of the prohibition of such types of weapons as chemical and biological, Australia initiated a convention for the prohibition of infantry mines, etc. The country actively participates in the activities of the UN and its various specialized organizations. The Australian Armed Forces are quite often involved in peacekeeping operations, especially in the Asia-Pacific region (East Timor, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, etc.), where the main foreign policy and foreign economic interests of the country are concentrated. Australia, in cooperation with New Zealand, pays special attention to maintaining peace in Oceania, where numerous small and small states with rather acute internal political and economic problems are located. The United States remains Australia's main military and political ally. Australia is sometimes even called the "deputy sheriff" (sheriff - of course the United States) in the Southwest Pacific. However, its position on international issues is not always identical to that of the United States and is determined primarily by national interests.

The armed forces are formed on a contract basis. They consist of three types - the Land Forces, the Air Force and the Naval Forces. The development of the Armed Forces takes into account the geographical position of Australia, its limited (in peacetime) human resources relative to the occupied territory. Therefore, the main emphasis is on the high technical equipment of the Armed Forces, mobility and the development of early warning systems. The total number of permanent personnel is 51.5 thousand people. (men fit for military service - over 4.3 million), another 39 thousand - reservists, in the Air Force - 263 aircraft, in the Navy - 84 ships, spending at sea on average 155 days a year. Aggregate military expenditures in 2001/02 amounted to 21.54 billion australia. dollars (11.6 billion US dollars at the average annual exchange rate of 2002, or almost 14 billion US dollars at purchasing power parity).

Australia has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR in 1942).

Economy of Australia

Australia is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. In terms of GDP per capita, US $ 27,000 (in terms of purchasing power parity), it is at the level of leading European countries, and according to the UN Human Development Index (an aggregate indicator that includes life expectancy, education level, income per capita population, etc.) - in 5th place among all countries in the world. Real income (national income) per capita over the past decade has grown by an average of 2.5% per year (with an average annual GDP growth rate of 3.2%). This is noticeably higher than in the previous two decades, and higher than that of the overwhelming majority of other developed countries. Australia's economy is small, with a share of just over 1% in global GDP and less than 1% in industrial production.

The able-bodied population is 15.5 million people, or St. 78% of the country's population, the share of working or looking for a job - 63.7%, and in 1992-2002 for men this share fell from 74.3 to 72.4%, and for women increased from 51.9 to 55.3%. In the 1990s. the unemployment rate gradually declined from 10.7% in 1993 to 6.6% in 2002. During this time, the share of union members among the employed fell from 39.6 to 23.1%, and the number of working days lost due to strikes fell by 3 -Five times.

The average annual growth rate of consumer prices over the past decade was 2.5%, which is well below the level of the previous two decades. The greatest increase was observed in the cost of excisable goods (alcohol, tobacco), education and health services, and to a lesser extent - food and transport. Prices for clothing, housing and communication services have hardly increased.

Sectoral structure of the economy by contribution to GDP (2001,%): agriculture, forestry and fisheries - 3.2, extractive industry - 4.7, manufacturing - 11.7, construction - 5.0, energy, gas industry and water supply - 2.4, transport, warehousing and communications - 7.7, wholesale and retail trade - 9.8, finance and insurance - 6.6, business services and real estate transactions - 11.2, education, healthcare, public and personal services - 12.2, hospitality and recreational services - 4.1, housing services - 9.1, government services - 3.6. Another 8.7% is the contribution to GDP of taxes (excluding subsidies).

Distribution of employed by sectors of the national economy (%): agriculture, forestry and fisheries - 4.6, extractive industry - 0.9, manufacturing - 12.3, construction - 7.3, energy, gas and water supply - 0, 6, transport, warehousing and communications - 6.7, wholesale and retail trade - 19.5, finance and insurance - 3.9, business and real estate services - 11.7, education, healthcare, public and personal services - 20.8, hospitality and recreational services - 7.6, government services - 4.1.

Compared to most other developed countries in the Australian industry, its mining sector plays a special role. Its share in GDP has stabilized and fluctuates between 4.5-5%, depending on the demand in the world market. The industry is highly diversified, saturated with enterprises with a high level of mechanization and automation and a small number of employees. As of 2001-02, Australia ranked third in the world for the extraction of iron ore (185.3 million tons), manganese - 5th (1.6 million tons), bauxite - 1st (54 million tons) , lead ore - 1st (about 1 million tons), zinc - 2nd (1.5 million tons), copper ore - 4th (0.9 million tons), nickel - 3rd (206 thousand . t), the so-called. mineral sands - 1st (rutile - 237 thousand tons, 55% of world production; zirconium - 352 thousand tons, 39%, ilmenite - 2.2 million tons, 30%), tantalum - 1st (485 tons of concentrates , 77% of world production), natural industrial diamonds - 1st, precious and semi-precious diamonds - 2nd (total diamond production - 26.6 million carats), gold - one of the first places (265 tons), silver - 4 -e (2.06 thousand tons). In 2002, 273 million tons of hard coal (coking and power-generating) and 66 million tons of brown coal were produced. Oil and condensate production amounted to 31.3 million tons, natural gas - 35.8 billion m3, uranium (one of the first places in the world) - 8937 tons (in terms of uranium oxide content).

In the manufacturing industry in the 1980s and 90s. rationalization took place, leaving mainly industries either viable in Australia or of strategic interest to it. The share of manufacturing in GDP over the past few decades has been consistently declining from 28% (early 1960s) to the current 11.7%. The leading sectors of the manufacturing industry, operating mainly on local raw materials, are food (23% of the manufacturing volume), metals and metalworking (15.4%), woodworking and pulp and paper (15%), petrochemical (14.7%) ... In mechanical engineering (18.9%), the leading role is played by the automotive industry, the production of household electrical appliances, electronics and the production of information technology equipment.

There are approx. 60% of the continent's territory, 90% of which is mainly suitable only for pasture cattle breeding using pasture, another 5% is sown pastures and only the remaining 5% is allocated for agricultural crops. Despite challenging natural conditions, economic and technological progress has made Australia one of the leading suppliers of agricultural products to the world market. Although the share of agriculture in the country's GDP and employment has decreased several times over the past few decades, it remains an important sector of the economy. In the 1990s. agricultural production increased by 39%. Moreover, if in 1990 the share of crop and livestock breeding in it was 46.4 and 53.6%, respectively, then in 2000 it was already 56 and 44%. The cultivated cereals give a low yield, which is compensated by the scale of the sown area. Approx. 80% of the harvest of vegetables, 70% of fruits, slightly less than 50% of sugarcane, the main harvest of wine grapes, rice, cotton, etc. In the best years, the wheat harvest is 22-24 million tons, coarse fodder crops - 11-13 million tons (barley - 6.5-6.7 million tons, oats - 1.8-2.0 million tons, lupine - 1, 8-2.0 million tons), rice - approx. 1.5 million tons, canola (rapeseed) - up to 2.5 million tons, sugar cane - 38-39 million tons, sorghum - more than 2 million tons, wine grapes - almost 1.4 million tons.

The role of sheep breeding by the beginning. 21 c. decreased markedly. From a maximum of 178 million heads reached in 1971, the number of sheep by 2002 fell to 107 million. The main problem is the unfavorable world situation. Australia provides 27% of the world's wool sheared (645 thousand tons, 2001) (including 50% of high quality merino wool), up to 90% of which is usually exported. The number of cattle in 2002 exceeded 30 million heads (over 90% - beef cattle) compared to 25 million in 1981. , 4 million lambs, 5.4 million tons of pigs, which together gave 3.2 million tons of meat. The growth in consumption of "white" meat at the expense of "red" contributed to an increase in the number of broiler poultry in the 1990s. 1.3 times. Between 1981 and 2001, the value of seafood (tuna and other types of fish, lobster, shrimp, scallops, oysters, etc.) increased 7 times - up to 2.5 billion australia. USD Aquaculture is also a growing industry. In 2001, she gave products (salmon, tuna, trout, shrimp, oysters, etc.) for 750 million Australian dollars. USD. Roundwood harvesting is at the level of 23-24 million m3 per year (roughly equal to natural felling and plantations). The volume of lumber production ranges from 3.5-4 million m3, meeting the needs of the country's woodworking and pulp and paper industry in raw materials by about 85%.

Transport in Australia, taking into account its geographic characteristics, plays an important economic and social role. The total length of state and private railways is almost 39.5 thousand km (about 3 thousand km have been electrified). Of these, with standard gauge (1435 mm) gauge - 16 343 km, incl. 8 thousand km of national roads (connecting various states). In 2001, 498 million passengers were transported by rail (an increase of 1/4 over a decade). The total length of highways is 810 thousand km, incl. with concrete or asphalt pavement 331 thousand km (2002), including approx. 14 thousand km of federal highways. In 2001, the country had 9870 thousand passenger cars, 1770 thousand light commercial vehicles, 419 thousand trucks, 68 thousand buses and 351 thousand motorcycles. The length of inland waterways (mainly for small vessels with shallow draft) is 8.4 thousand km. Seaports - 97, incl. 15 - on the island of Tasmania. All major cities have their own seaports. In addition to them, each state has at least 1-2 major seaports. Its own merchant marine fleet consists of 54 vessels, of which 45 are coastal voyages (total tonnage of 1.5 million tons) and 9 are ocean-going (783 thousand tons). Australia is a country with very intense air traffic (domestic and foreign). From St. 400 aerodromes 261 have hard surface runways, including 12 international airports. On the gray. 2002 11,779 aircraft were registered: 10,696 airplanes and helicopters, incl. 172 airliners for major airlines, and 1,083 gliders. In 2001, the volume of domestic traffic reached 30.4 billion passenger-km (+ 13% to the 1996 level). The main airports of the country in 2001 were used by 60.5 million passengers (16.8 million - international), incl. in Sydney - 16.6 million people. (share in international traffic - 49%), in Melbourne - 13.3 million (19.7%) and in Brisbane - 10 million people. (15.1%). The length of gas pipelines - 5.6 thousand km, oil pipelines - 2.5 thousand km, oil product pipelines - 500 km. In 2001, the aggregate turnover of all types of transport amounted to 320.1 billion tkm of cargo, incl. 134.1 billion t-km - by rail, 117.8 billion t-km - by road, 97.4 billion t-km - by sea (especially coastal), about 3 billion t-km - by air. Export shipping by Australian vessels amounted to 506 million tons. The volume of imported cargo handled is 58 million tons.

Various types of communication have been developed. There is St. 10 million regular telephone lines and approx. 9 million mobile devices. More than 600 radio and 100 television stations, St. 25.5 million radios and 10 million televisions. Information technology is spreading rapidly. In 2002 St. 60% of dwellings had a home computer (one of the first places in the world). There were 10.63 million users for 570 Internet providers (54% of the country's population).

In 1991-2001, retail turnover increased by almost 40% to AUS 163.4 billion. dollars (approximately 35% of all consumer spending). The number of retail trade enterprises was 98,289 with more than 1.1 million employees. 95% of enterprises have less than 20 employees. But for 200 enterprises with the number of employed St. 200 people accounts for almost 52% of all retail turnover and 49% of those employed in the industry. The share of the largest groups of retail trade and service enterprises is as follows: food sales enterprises - 38.8% of all retail sales; hotels, restaurants, cafes, clubs, etc. - 17.5%; enterprises selling household goods - 12.6%; department stores - 8.4%; enterprises selling clothes and related products - 6.7%; enterprises selling goods for recreational purposes (sports, tourism, etc.) - 4.5%; retail enterprises of other profile - 11.5%. The turnover of wholesale enterprises in 1992-2002 increased by about 85%, exceeding 240 billion Australian dollars. dollars. In the wholesale trade there are 45 thousand enterprises with the number of employed 470 thousand people. Wholesale enterprises are divided into three large industry groups: enterprises selling mechanical engineering products - 45.2% of all wholesale sales (average annual sales growth in the 1990s - 5.1%), basic materials - 33% (2.7%) , personal and household goods - 22.7% (-1.0%). During this period, the industry has undergone a serious transformation associated with the widespread introduction of information technology, the concentration of wholesale sales, and a reduction in labor and capital intensity.

The provision of a diverse range of services has become a critical area of ​​the economy. Its total contribution to GDP in 2001 was approx. 47%, and the share in the number of employed is 48%. In 2001, there were almost 690 thousand enterprises operating in the service sector (excluding retail outlets, which can also be attributed to the service sector), or approx. 60% of all private sector enterprises. The most developed services are education, health care, public and personal services, business and real estate services, finance and insurance, hospitality and recreational services. This sector of the economy is increasingly diversifying and is the main source of employment growth.

The scale of the country and its diverse nature are a good basis for the development of tourism. Direct spending on tourism in 2001 was equivalent to 4.7% of GDP, and the total consumption of goods and services related to tourism was 10% of GDP. Domestic tourism accounted for 3/4 of total expenditures and foreign - 1/4. More than 550 thousand people are directly employed in the tourism industry. In 1992-2002, the annual number of foreign tourists increased from 2.5 million to 4.8 million. Foreign tourism as a source of foreign exchange has overtaken some of the country's major merchandise exports. The number of Australian tourists visiting other countries annually increased from 2.2 million to 3.4 million people over the same period.

At the center of the country's monetary and financial system is the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), which serves as the country's central bank. The RBA is responsible for monetary policy, financial stability and the functioning of payment systems. He is the only issuer of the national currency, the holder of gold and foreign exchange reserves, sets the official discount rate, conducts operations on the open market, incl. on currency. Other regulatory bodies are the Australian Prudential Regulatory Agency (AAPR), which since 1998, instead of the RBA, is responsible for controlling commercial banks, as well as insurance companies, pension funds and a number of financial companies (construction credit companies, credit cooperatives, financial partnerships, etc. .). Self-Governing Pension Funds have been supervised by the Australian Internal Revenue Service since 1 July 2000. As of July 1, 2002, the total assets of the country's financial institutions amounted to 2227 billion Australian dollars. dollars (net of mutual obligations - 1588 billion), of which commercial banks accounted for 866 billion (38.9%), other financial corporations that accept deposits (investment banks, construction credit societies, credit cooperatives, financial companies of various profiles and etc.) - 239 billion (10.7%), for pension funds - 453 billion (20.4%), for insurance companies - 267 billion (12%), for financial intermediaries (various trust companies, corporations of economic development, housing cooperatives, etc.) - 251 billion (11.3%), for financial corporations of states and territories (created to manage their assets and liabilities) - 94.5 billion (4.2%). Finally, AUD 56.8 billion. dollars (2.5%) accounted for the RBA. The 4 largest commercial banks account for St. 1/2 of the assets of all 49 banks. The insurance industry (42 companies) is also controlled by several of the largest companies. As of July 1, 2002, there were 739 billion Australian shares and other securities traded on the stock exchange in circulation. dollars. In addition to the exchange, securities were issued for another 568 billion australia. dollars. Up to 2/3 of adult Australians are shareholders. OK. 75% of the total volume of settlements in the country goes through the centralized electronic clearing system. As of 2001, there was St. 11 thousand branches and agencies of banks, building partnerships and credit unions, 2.8 thousand points in post offices that provide a limited range of payment services, 14.7 thousand ATMs and St. 400 thousand terminals for electronic payment processing.

The current government of the country is pursuing a policy of containing growth and even cutting budget spending. Since the 1997 fiscal year (in Australia it starts on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year), the federal budget was reduced with a deficit, and even then a scanty (0.1% of GDP), only in 2001. Federal budget expenditures (2002,%): social provision and well-being 41.8, health care 17.3, defense 7.7, education 7.2, functioning of federal state bodies 6.3, total expenditures on other items of functioning of the state machine (payment of interest on public debt, transfers to states, territories and municipalities, maintenance of law and order, etc.) 9.2, the total share of economic items (support for various industries and sectors of the national economy, etc.) 8.1. The tax burden on the economy (the ratio of all collected taxes to GDP, in 2000 - 31.8%, including federal - 26%) is one of the smallest among developed countries. Taxes account for up to 95% of the revenues of the federal government and St. 32% - states (grants and subsidies from the federal government - 44%). In the structure of federal taxes in 2002, income tax accounted for 53.0%, profit tax - 19.7%, indirect taxes - 16.7%, insurance pension fees - 2.9%, etc. On July 1, 2000, a federal value added tax was introduced - the tax on goods and services (NTU), in 2000 its share amounted to 13.6% of all federal tax collections. At the same time, the tax on wholesale sales and a number of others were abolished. The income tax rate has been reduced from 36% to 34%. Income tax rates from 1 July 2003: on income up to AUS 6 thousand. dollars per year - 0%, up to 21.6 thousand - 17%, up to 52 thousand - 30%, up to 62.5 thousand - 42%, St. 62.5 thousand - 47%.

The ratio of federal government debt to GDP is one of the lowest among OECD countries. In 1995-2002, federal debt fell from 19.1% to 4.3% of GDP.

In 1992-2002, the average weekly income of full-time workers increased from AUS 541 to AU 868. dollars (up to 685 dollars, adjusted for the growth of the consumer price index). The least paid are considered to be approximately 1.7 million employed earning less than AU 570. dollars per week. At the same time, among the OECD countries, Australia is second only to France (60%) in terms of the ratio of the minimum wage to the average (approx. 58%). Wages account for 56-58% of total household income, the rest is social benefits and other sources. Distribution of income among approximately 9 million Australian households from mid. 1990s remains stable. The share of the bottom quintile (20%) in the total volume of all households is 4%, the next - 9%; 15%; OK. 24%, and the top - just above 48%. The share of savings in disposable income in 1991-2001 was below 4%, one of the worst rates in the OECD. The share of food expenditures is only 11% of total household expenditures, and the largest item is housing costs, 18.6%. OK. 80% of the country's population lives in their own homes.

In 1991-2001, the share of exports of goods and services in GDP increased significantly - from 16.7 to 22.8%, and the total foreign trade quota (including services) - from 33.5 to 45.6%. Terms of trade index (ratio of export to import prices) in the 1990s had a mostly negative trend, but since 2000 it has improved for 3 consecutive years.

Agricultural, mining and raw material processing industries account for 70-80% of annual Australian exports, incl. for agricultural products - 10-11%, mining industry - 26-27%, for metallurgy and metalworking products - 16-17%, food industry - 14-15%, oil refining and petrochemicals - up to 7%, and for machinery and equipment - only 13-14%. Australia ranks 1st in the world in the export of wool, bauxite and alumina, one of the first in the export of wheat, sugar, meat, coal, iron ore, primary aluminum, gold, silver, liquefied natural gas. It is one of the leading exporters of many other types of agricultural products and raw materials. The main import item is manufacturing products, St. 90%, share of machinery and equipment - approx. 50%. The largest trading partner for about 30 years is Japan. Its share in Australia's foreign trade turnover is 15.9% (2001), the share of the United States is 13.9%, China, which has recently moved up to third place, is 7.9%, South Korea is 6.0%, New Zealand is 5.1%, UK 4.7%. Japan is also the main market (since the late 1960s) for Australian products - 18.8%, followed by the United States - 9.9%, South Korea catching up with them - 8.1%, China - 6.4% and New Zealand - 6.3% For several decades, the United States has been dominating in imports - 18%, second place has also been held by Japan for a long time - 12.9%, China has moved up to third place in recent years - 9.4%, followed by Germany - 5.6%, Great Britain 5.2%, New Zealand 4.1% and South Korea 3.9%.

The volume of trade in services ranges from 25-30% of the volume of commodity trade. Exports of services (2000,%): USA 16.2, Japan 11.7, UK 11.0, New Zealand 7.2, Singapore 5.9. Imports of services (%): US 21.0, UK 12.4, Japan 6.9, Singapore 6.5, and New Zealand 5.2.

The trade balance is most often deficit, but in 2000-01 its slight surplus was recorded. The balance of trade in services in 1997-2001 was positive only once. The current account balance of payments deficit is chronic, in 1992-2002 its average value was 4.2% of GDP - one of the highest indicators among developed countries.

Australia is a traditional sphere of investment of foreign capital. The main investors are the USA, Great Britain, other European countries, and in the last two decades also the countries of East Asia. On the gray. 2002 cumulative (accumulated) foreign investment in the Australian economy amounted to 844.4 billion australia. dollars, having increased from 1997 by 65%. Of this amount, 55% fell on portfolio investments, 25% - on direct investments, 16% - on loans, credits, deposits, etc., and 4% - on derivative securities. Unlike imports, capital exports from Australia have been largely a phenomenon of the last 20 years. After the relaxation of foreign exchange controls in 1983, the increase in capital exports exploded. On the gray. The 2002 cumulative total of capital exports from Australia amounted to AUS 453.9 billion. dollars, having increased since 1997 more than 2 times. The share of portfolio investments - 35%, direct investments - 34%, loans, credits, deposits, etc. - 24%, derivative securities - 7%.

Over the past 10 years, a downward trend in the Australian currency exchange rate has prevailed. So, in 1997-2002 it decreased from 78 to 52 American cents, from 0.49 to 0.36 British pounds sterling and from 90.51 to 66.10 yen per Australian dollar. Doll.

Australia's external debt has grown significantly since 1983. Interest payments on external debt are one of the most important reasons for the current account balance of payments deficit. However, the structure of the external debt has radically changed. If in 1983 the combined share of the public sector (federal government, states, state financial and non-financial corporations) in net external debt was about 1/3, then by 2002 it fell to 4%, and the private sector increased from 2/3 to 96% ... In 1996-2001, the net external debt of the public sector fell from AUS 65.2 billion. dollars to 12.1 billion, and private - increased from 143.4 billion to 317.6 billion. In 1990-2002, the ratio of the country's net external debt to GDP increased from 33 to 47%.

Over the past 20 years, the Asia-Pacific region has become the main geographic area of ​​development of the country's foreign economic relations. It is no coincidence that Australia was one of the main initiators of the creation in 1989 of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which includes practically all the states of East Asia and the main countries of the western part of the Pacific Ocean basin. Australia has the only bilateral agreement on "closer economic ties" (quasi-common market) with New Zealand.

Science and culture of Australia

Australia has a well-established educational system with high school, secondary and tertiary education coverage by world standards. Schooling is compulsory for children 6-15 (in Tasmania up to 16) years. School education is divided into schools of the first (depending on the state - 1-6th or 1-7th grades) and the second stage (7-12th or 8-12th grades). St. 72% of children of the appropriate age. 6961 schools are public, 2634 are private, mostly Catholic. More than 50% of graduates of secondary schools continue their studies. The system of vocational education, mainly state-run, consists of more than 250 institutions. More than 1.7 million people undergo vocational training annually. (13% of the working population). For higher education, in addition to universities, there are special educational institutions (there are 92 of them) - educational centers, technical and special colleges. Of the 42 universities, 38 are funded to varying degrees by the state. There is only one fully private university, as well as a number of other private institutions (such as theological colleges) that provide higher education. The higher education system combines fees with government support in the form of scholarships or student loans. Great attention is paid to attracting foreign students. Australian educational services of all kinds in 2002 received approx. 280 thousand students from more than 80 countries, incl. OK. 150 thousand - in Australia itself. Among the service industries, education is in third place in terms of export revenues (A $ 5 billion per year).

The system of fundamental scientific research is quite developed, in which the state plays the most important organizational and financial role. Through the Australian Research Council and various centers and programs, the government funds research on a wide range of issues, with a focus on promoting a culture of innovation in the country. Australian scientists and engineers have a lot of achievements in the field of science and technology, both original and developing what has already been done in other states. The main research centers are universities and special scientific organizations. Among them, the largest is the Federal Organization for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO), which concentrates a significant part of scientific research carried out in the country on a wide range of problems - from animal and plant diseases to radiophysics, but especially research that is relevant to Australia in terms of its natural -climatic conditions and structure of the economy. It is one of the largest and most diversified research organizations in the world, with approx. 6,500 employees in 60 research centers and laboratories in Australia and abroad. It is one of the five most successful scientific organizations in the world in terms of achievements in the field of ecology and agricultural sciences. It implements its achievements in practice through 70 implementation companies, at the same time leads approx. 700 international research programs. The annual budget of the CSIRO is AUD 1.5 billion. dollars add up to 1/3 of federal allocations and 2/3 of their own income, 1/3 of which, in turn, is earned abroad. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization is also a world-class research center. State allocations for science are constantly increasing, but in relation to GDP (0.7%) they are still inferior to many developed countries.

The cultural life of the country is rich and varied. Literature, painting, musical art, and museum work are developing. The Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are quite famous in the world. Among Australian film actors, Nicole Kidman and Mel Gibson are the most popular, among pop stars - singer Kylie Minogue. A huge role in the propaganda of the image of Australia belongs to Paul Hogan, who played the main role in the film "Crocodile Dundee". Famous Australians include poet and writer Henry Lawson, who pioneered the formation of the artistic image of the Australian and Australia, writers Patrick White (Nobel laureate), Maurice West, Vance Palmer, Katharina Pritchard, artists Russell Drysdell, Sydney Nolan, historian Manning Clark and many other.

Among the architectural achievements that are the hallmark of Australia are the famous Harbor Bridge (across Sydney Harbor), the Sydney Opera House, the Melbourne Arts Center. Quite a lot of monuments of colonial architecture have been preserved. The combination of cuisines of different nations has made the country's restaurant business one of its most important attractions. Australian wines have also gained steady popularity in the world market. For Australians, the desire and ability to relax is generally characteristic. The favorable climate, the traditions carried over by the settlers from the British Isles, determined the popularity of sports - rugby, tennis, cricket, where the Australians have always had outstanding players, and the national team occupies the leading positions in the world. Australian swimmers regularly achieve outstanding success on the world stage. Equestrian sports, yacht racing, golf, windsurfing, football, baseball, athletics, etc. are also popular. Australia has hosted the Olympic Games twice: in 1956 in Melbourne and in 2000 in Sydney.

Other active forms of recreation, primarily tourism, are becoming more and more popular. The country created approx. 2 thousand national parks and reserves, there are huge opportunities for "wild" hiking and travel. The resort Mecca of Australia - the Gold Coast - stretching for hundreds of kilometers of beaches on the east coast of Queensland.

Aboriginal culture is growing in popularity. Their songs and legends are especially famous. The traditional art of the aborigines, which has survived to this day, is rock paintings and drawings on the bark of eucalyptus trees, paintings on the stone of mythological themes. The uniqueness of the painting of the Aboriginal artists has made their work very popular in modern Australia. The influence of aboriginal languages ​​is strongly felt in toponymy, the names of animals, in special terms of the Australian version of the English language.

Australia is a state of the British Commonwealth in the Southern Hemisphere, occupying the entire surface of the mainland Australia, the island of Tasmania and several islands in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Its area is 7.6 million km2, 5% of the entire earth's land, it is the sixth largest in the world. It is one of the most developed countries in the world, ranks 6th in terms of GDP per capita, the capital is Canberra, the largest cities are Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, New Castle. The population is 24.067 million people (2017), the average density is the lowest in the world - 2.8 people / km 2.

Geographic characteristics

The state is completely located in the Southern Hemisphere, consists of Australia, the island of Tasmania and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

To the north of Australia are East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, in the northeast - the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, in the southeast - the territory of New Zealand.

Mountains and plains

The relief of most of the country is low-lying plains, their average height is about 215 m. Huge territories are occupied by deserts: the Great Victoria Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, the Great Artesian Basin semi-desert. In the east, there are old dilapidated mountains - the Great Dividing Range, a zone of ancient folding. Here is the highest point of the mainland of Australia - Mount Kostsyushko (2228 m), the highest point of the country - the active volcano Mawson (2750 m) on Heard Island in the subarctic zone of the Indian Ocean. The lowest point in the country is Lake Eyre (-15 meters below sea level) ...

Rivers and lakes

The Australian continent has a small river network, which is represented by the main river Murray (2375 km), the second longest river Marrumbidgee (1485 km), the third - the Darling River (1472 km, a tributary of the Murray). The Murray-Darling river basin occupies almost 14% of the country's territory, or 1 million km 2. The most developed hydraulic network is located on the island of Tasmania. The shortage of surface waters is partially compensated by large reserves of underground artesian waters with a high level of mineralization.

The country has a large number of lakes, mainly formed in basins due to precipitation. The largest lakes are the salt lakes Eyre (area 9.5 thousand km 2), Torrance (5.7 thousand km 2), Gairdner (4.3 thousand km 2), the amazing salt lake Hillier with unique rose water and others: Mackay (3.5 thousand km 2), Amadius (1 thousand km 2), artificial reservoirs Argyle and Gordon ...

Oceans and seas surrounding Australia

The northern and eastern shores are washed by the waters of four seas: Arafur, Coral, Tasman (Pacific Sea) and Timor (Indian Ocean), west and south - by the Indian Ocean. The length of the coastline of Australia is almost 60 thousand km, the mainland is 35.8 thousand km, the island is 23.8 thousand km. Along the northeastern coast, a reef made of corals stretches under water at a distance of more than 2 thousand km - the Great Barrier Reef ...

The continent's significant ancient age, varied weather conditions and its long geographic isolation from the outside world have contributed to the accumulation of wealth and diversity in Australia's flora and fauna. More than 12 species of representatives of the animal and plant kingdom live here, and 9 thousand of them are endemic. Woody vegetation is represented mainly by such evergreens as eucalyptus and acacia, adapted to survive in constant conditions of drought and high temperatures. In cool Tasmania with a temperate type of climate, in addition to the eucalyptus trees typical for Australia, evergreen southern beeches grow.

The most famous representatives of the Australian fauna: mammals of the order of monotonous platypuses and echidna, mammals of the family of marsupial kangaroos, koala, wombat, from birds - the emu, the cockatoo parrot, the laughing kingfisher or kookabara, the only placental predator in the Australian fauna is the wild dog dingo (previously marsupial wolves lived, but their population, unfortunately, disappeared) ...

Australia climate

The territory of Australia is located in three climatic zones: the northern part is subequatorial, the central one is tropical, and the southern part is subtropical. Tasmania has a temperate climate. The Australian summer, lasting from December to February, is very hot and dry, in the central regions the temperature rises to +40 ° C, in winter it drops to + 10 ° C, +2 ° C, frosts are possible.

The climate of the western oceanic coast is slightly softened by the influence of oceanic air masses, sometimes bringing here a small amount of precipitation. In general, Australia is the driest continent on Earth, ¾ its territories do not receive sufficient moisture, which, together with a large amount of solar radiation from the hot tropical sun, has led to the formation of vast deserts in the center of the country ...

Resources

Natural resources of Australia

Australia is rich in a variety of mineral resources, it ranks second in the world in the production of bauxite and zirconium, is in the lead in uranium ore reserves (1/3 of all world reserves) and in terms of its production, 6th in the world in coal mining, also here large reserves of ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores are concentrated, there are rich deposits of gold and diamonds. Oil and natural gas reserves are insignificant, concentrated in the south of the country, on the northeastern and northwestern oceanic shelf ...

The most developed branches of industrial production in Australia are the oldest mining, automotive, heavy engineering, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical production, food and light industries.

In agriculture, the leading positions are occupied by grazing livestock, in which an important place is given to sheep breeding (Australia supplies the world market with 9% of the total world wool production, 50% of the fine wool called Mouton comes from here), meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding, poultry farming, beekeeping, camel breeding and thoroughbred racehorses.

In crop production, the leading process of growing and harvesting wheat, which is mainly grown in the so-called "wheat belt", stretching up to 300 km in width from Brisbane on the southeast coast of the country to the southernmost regions of Australia. In addition to wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, forage grasses: lupine and clover are grown. Australia is also a major supplier of oranges, mangoes, pineapples, various vegetables and even opium poppy for pharmaceutical purposes, which is grown on the plantations of the island of Tasmania under the strict control of the authorities ...

Culture

Peoples of Australia

About 80% of the population of Australia has British roots, because since 1770 it was a colony of Great Britain, then the Australian type of English was formed. The intensive formation of Australian culture as such actively took place in the middle of the 19th century, when an influx of immigrants from various countries of the world (Germany, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, USA, Canada) poured here, which was associated with the discovery of gold deposits in the southeastern part of the country , the second influx of immigration from Europe and Asia was observed after the Second World War in the twentieth century. Thus, modern Australia is characterized by a multiculturalism based on the principles of equality and good neighborliness. Earlier in Australia there was a problem of oppression and infringement of the rights of the local population - the indigenous aborigines of Australia, whose culture is now one of the main values ​​of this country ...

At this time, the descendants of the indigenous aborigines of Australia make up a little more than 1.5% of the total population of the country, who in order to survive have to assimilate with other inhabitants of the country, many work in tourism, on various farms and ranches, some, like their ancient ancestors hunt and live in harmony with the wildlife around them.

One of the ancient traditions of Australian aborigines is ritual dances and chants to the accompaniment of the unique Australian wind instrument didgeridoo. The aborigines of Australia believed that the whole world around them was created by their ancestors in the sacred "Age of Dreams", with the help of their dances, songs, drawings on the bark of trees and fabric, each tribe told about the history of their ancestors and their deeds, which were passed down from generation to generation ...

Australia was discovered by Europeans in the early 17th century. This honor fell to the Dutch admiral Willem Janson. Before the appearance of Europeans on the Australian continent, the local aborigines lived calmly and peacefully. After the appearance of Europeans in Australia, the modern history of this "Green Continent" began.

In 1901, the former British colonies in Australia formed a state called the Commonwealth of Australia. Now this country administratively consists of six states (Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia), three mainland territories (Northern Territory, Federal Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory) and several outer territories.

Geography of Australia

The continent of Australia is located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. From the west and south, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the north and east - by the Tasman, Timor, Arafur and Coral Seas. The Bass Strait separates this continent from the island of Tasmania. New Zealand and New Guinea are not far from the Australian coast. The total area of ​​this continent is 7,659,861 sq. km.

Along the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2,000 km, which is considered the largest coral reef in the world.

Plains occupy about 95% of the continent. Only to the east are the Musgrave Mountains, the McDonnell Ridge, the Kimberley Ridge to the north, and the Darling Ridge to the southwest. The highest local peak is Kosciuszko Peak, whose height reaches 2,228 meters.

Rivers in Australia are not very long compared to other continents. However, some of the longest are Murray (2,375 km), Marrumbidgee (1,485 km) and Darling (1,472 km). As for the Australian lakes, they are even fewer in number than rivers, and in the summer, almost all of them dry up.

To the west, south, and northwest are the largest Australian deserts - the Great Sandy Desert and the Great Victoria Desert.

The climate in the north of Australia is subequatorial, in the central part it is tropical, and in the south it is subtropical.

Population

At the moment, the population of Australia already exceeds 23.3 million people. About 98% of the population of this continent belongs to the Caucasian race - they are descendants of the British, Scots and Irish. There are also descendants of Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch, Poles, Italians and Greeks. In addition, many Australians consider Arabs and Chinese as their ancestors.

In the north of the continent, in the central regions, as well as in the northeast and northwest, tribes of Australian aborigines still live, which form a separate race - the Australian.

Most Australian residents speak Australian English. Other popular languages ​​are Chinese, Italian, Arabic and Greek.

Country

There is only one state on the continent of Australia - the Commonwealth of Australia, a member of the British Commonwealth. The capital of the Commonwealth of Australia is the city of Canberra, on the territory of which there were once settlements of local aborigines. Now about 400 thousand people live in Canberra.

Regions of Australia

Topographically, the Australian continent is sometimes divided into four regions - the lowland, the coastal plain to the east, the central plain and plateau, and the western plateau.

The oldest Australian city is Sydney, founded by the British in 1788. Sydney is now the largest city on the Australian continent with more than 4.6 million inhabitants.