Size: Australia is slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous United States.

Population: A little over 20 million people.  Like most other rich nations Australia is experiencing a demographic shift toward an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age.  Australia has maintained one of the most active immigration programs in the world in order to boost population growth.

Languages Spoken: English (Also known as Australian English) is the primary language, spoken in almost 80% of Australian households.  Other languages spoken are: Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, and Greek 1.4%. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of these languages have survived, and many of those are now endangered.

Type of Government: The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy (Queen Elizabeth II of Britain is also the Queen of Australia) with a parliamentary system. Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over.  Australia ranks an impressive 9th on the The 2006 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index

Religion: Australia has no state religion. The 2001 census identified that 68% of Australians call themselves Christian.  As in many Western countries, the level of active participation in church worship is much lower than statistics might indicate; only about 7.5% of the population attends church weekly.  Indigenous Australians, (who make up 2.4% of Australia's population) now largely practice Christianity (though there is debate over how religious demographics among Indigenous Australians are gathered). Their traditional belief system is based upon reverence for the land and the concept of dreamtime.

Gender and Health Issues: Australians benefit from Medicare Australia, a universal healthcare program providing health services for all citizens.  Abortion is available on request and the maternal death rate is low at 8 maternal deaths out of 100,000.   0.1% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS and life expectancy of the total population is 80 years (it is interesting to note that life expectancy for Indigenous Australians is approximately 17 years lower). Literacy rates are high and equal at 99% for both males and females.

Environment and Resources: Current Environmental issues in Australia include the common problems of soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization and desertification. Clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species in the country. The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site. Diminishing ozone have some concerned about increased incidence of skin cancer among Australians. Despite these problems Australia ranked 13th on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index (the U.S.  is ranked 45th).

Economy: Australia has a Western-style capitalist economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies.

International Aid Donated: $894 million a year

Receives US Counter-terrorism Assistance: Australia is considered a key counterterrorism partner with the United States.

Death Penalty: Abolished by the Federal Government in 1973.

Top Five Industries: Mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, and steel.

Poverty Rate: The Parliament of Australia reports that as of 2005 9.3% of all Australians were living in poverty.  The unemployment rate is reported at 4.9%

McDonald's Restaurants: McDonald's opened its first outlet in a Sydney suburb in 1971.  As of 2006 there were 730 McDonald's restaurants in the country.

Military Spending: 2.5% of GDP—65th highest percentage of 173 countries.

Human Trafficking Situation: Australia is a destination country for a small but indeterminate number of women trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation from countries in Southeast Asia, South Korea, and People's Republic of China.

Currency: Australian dollar (AUD). About 1.3 to the U.S. Dollar

Media: An anti-terror law proposed by the government bans coverage of a police operation, referring to the detention of a suspect or invoking protection of sources in terrorism cases. Journalists face prison sentences of up to five years for violating the new law. Two journalists are currently at risk of prison for refusing to reveal their sources, and last year several reporters were prevented by the government from investigating conditions in prisons and detention camps for asylum-seekers. It's interesting to note that global media mogul Rupert Murdock is from Australia. Australia ranks 35th out of 168 on the 2006 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedoms Index. About 70% of the country is online.

Posted: 2007