Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 58% forest and woodland: 14% other: 22%
Irrigated land: 18,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development,
urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to
the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for
agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique
animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast
coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased
shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh
water resources
natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification
Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer
@Australia:People
Population: 18,322,231 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (female 1,929,366; male 2,032,238)
15-64 years: 67% (female 6,017,362; male 6,181,887)
65 years and over: 11% (female 1,227,004; male 934,374) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.31% (1995 est.)