NationMaster - Statistics on Australia. facts and figures, stats and information on Australian economy, crime, people, government, health and education. 21 maps and 238 flags

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.

Alternative names:

Australia, Commonwealth of Australia

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Maps of Australia

Australia (Shaded Relief) 1999	Australia, Proposed Divisions 1838	Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia)	Christmas Island [Indian Ocean] (Australia)
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COMMENTARY

MAHESH 8th December 2005	iam working as a financial analyst at commodity trading . we have been dealing oats for trading . i want to know the reason for sudden changes in price moments for oats. .
Alex Flanagan 21st November 2005	You should have some place where you type a place or object like the Great Dividing Range and it will give you the absolute location.(longitude and latitude)of the place.
Ian Graham Staff Editor 31st May 2005	According to OECD statistics, 17.4 percent of Australians are at a high rate of literacy, 55.2 percent have a moderate level of literacy, and 44.8 are at a low literacy level. Almost 50 percent of Australian women are at least a moderate literacy level, while the moderate literacy rate for men is 52.2 percent. The overall literacy rate in Australia is pegged at 100 percent, as is the literacy rate for men and women. The literacy rate is defined as the number of people aged 15 and over who can read and write.
Edria Murray Staff Editor 30th May 2005	In response to ashley: The literacy rate for Australia is 100%. Literacy, however, is really a continuum from illiterate through low literacy to high literacy. The International Adult literacy survey (1998) of OECD countries concluded that 44.8% of Australian adults had a low level of literacy. In this study, a low level of literacy represents a skill level lower than that required for successful completion of secondary education. These people may have difficulty comparing data, understanding data which is not clearly laid out and following complex instructions. Low literacy can affect the training and employment options available to the person, their financial status and their ability to access services such as health and welfare assistance.
ashley 29th May 2005	I need stats on the literacy rate for Australia.
Suchita Vemuri Staff Editor 20th April 2005	In response to everyone looking for 'amazing' facts on Australia, try the country's rankings, top as well as bottom global rankings, and then try correlations.
Suchita Vemuri Staff Editor 4th March 2005	Hi Josie -- see the page on transportation in Australia and follow the links for broad, narrow and standard gauge, as well as electrified routes, both total capacity and per capita.

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