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AUSTRALIA
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Missionaries
to Australia
Ellis and Amy Heffington
Michael and Hazel Marsh
Religion
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3%.
People/Language/Ethnicity
Language: English. Ethnicity/race: Caucasian 92%, Asian
7%, aboriginal (353,000) and other 1%.
Most Australians are of British and Irish ancestry and the
majority of the country lives in urban areas. The indigenous
Australian aborigines population is estimated at 386,049.
Two thirds of aborigines live in cities.
Overview
2,967,893 sq mi. The continent of Australia, with the island
state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the United
States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run
from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest
point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 ft; 2,228 m). The western
half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that
rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast. It includes
the Great Victoria Desert to the south and the Great Sandy
Desert to the north. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about
1,245 mi (2,000 km), lies along the northeast coast. The island
of Tasmania (26,178 sq mi; 67,800 sq km) is off the southeast
coast.
Population
19,731,984 (growth rate: 0.5%). Capital (2003 est.): Canberra,
327,700. Largest cities (2003 est.): Sydney, 4,250,100; Melbourne,
3,610,800; Brisbane, 1,545,700; Perth, 1,375,200; Adelaide,
1,087,600
Economy
Per capita income $24,000. Real growth rate: 2.3%. Inflation:
4.3%. Unemployment: 6.7%. Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: wheat,
barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry. Labor force:
9.2 million (Dec. 2001); services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture
5% (1997 est.). Industries: mining, industrial and transportation
equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel. Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel,
tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum.
Source and Copyright: InfoPlease, The Columbia Encyclopedia,
Sixth Edition. 2001. The World Factbook 2002. |
