Part 4

Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association), Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Carlos ORTIZ DE ROZAS; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles US: Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO AA 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774- 7611 or 8811, 9911; Telex 18156 AMEMBAR Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May

:Argentina Economy

Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years, leading to escalating inflation and a recession during 1988-90. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $58 billion, creating severe debt servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders. Elected in 1989, President Menem has implemented a comprehensive economic restructuring program that shows signs of reversing Argentina's economic decline and putting it on a path of stable, sustainable growth. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $101.2 billion, per capita $3,100; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 83.8% (1991) Unemployment rate: 6.4% (October 1991) Budget: revenues $13.6 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1991) Exports: $12 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool partners: US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands Imports: $8 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products partners: US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands External debt: $61 billion (January 1992) Industrial production: growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP Electricity: 17,059,000 kW capacity; 47,357 million kWh produced, 1,450 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops - wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets Illicit drugs: increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the US and Europe Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million Currency: peso (plural - pesos); 1 pesos = 100 centavos

:Argentina Economy

Exchange rates: pesos per US$1 - 0.99076 (Feburary 1992), 0.95355 (1991), 0.48759 (1990), 0.04233 (1989), 0.00088 (1988), 0.00021 (1987) Fiscal year: calendar year

:Argentina Communications

Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 209 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter narrow gauge, and 0.750-meter narrow gauge Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe Merchant marine: 98 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,235,385 GRT/1,952,307 DWT; includes 35 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 33 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 10 bulk; in addition, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially Civil air: 56 major transport aircraft Airports: 1,702 total, 1,473 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 326 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); microwave widely used; broadcast stations - 171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 earth stations

:Argentina Defense Forces

Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 8,101,856; 6,568,885 fit for military service; 276,457 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $700 million, 1.5% of GDP (1991)

:Armenia Geography

Total area: 29,800 km2 Land area: 28,400 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland Land boundaries: 1,254 km total; Azerbaijan (east) 566 km, Azerbaijan (south) 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km Coastline: none - landlocked Maritime claims: none - landlocked Disputes: violent and longstanding dispute with Azerbaijan over ethnically Armenian exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh; some irredentism by Armenians living in southern Georgia; traditional demands on former Armenian lands in Turkey have greatly subsided Climate: continental, hot, and subject to drought Terrain: high Armenian Plateau with mountain; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina Land use: 10% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; NA% irrigated Environment: pollution of Razdan and Aras Rivers; air pollution in Yerevan

:Armenia People

Population: 3,415,566 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992) Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: --7 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 35 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Armenian(s); adjective - Armenian Ethnic divisions: Armenian 93.3%, Russian 1.5%, Kurd 1.7%, other 3.5% Religions: Armenian Orthodox 94% Languages: Armenian 93%, Russian 2%, other 5% Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (NA) Labor force: 1,630,000; industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 18%, other 40%(1990) Organized labor: NA

:Armenia Government

Long-form name: Republic of Armenia Type: republic Capital: Yerevan Administrative divisions: none - all rayons are under direct republic jurisdiction Independence: Armenian Republic formed 29 November 1920 and became part of the Soviet Union on 30 December 1922; on 23 September 1991, Armenia renamed itself the Republic of Armenia Constitution: adopted NA April 1978, effective NA Legal system: based on civil law system National holiday: NA Executive branch: President, Council of Ministers, prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral body - Supreme Soviet Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Levon Akopovich TER-PETROSYAN (since 16 October 1991), Vice President Gagik ARUTYUNYAN (since 16 October 1991) Head of Government: Prime Minister Gagik ARUTYUNYAN (since November 1991), First Deputy Prime Minister Grant BAGRATYAN (since NA September 1990); Supreme Soviet Chairman - Babken ARARKTSYAN Political parties and leaders: Armenian National Movement, Husik LAZARYAN, chairman; National Self-Determination Association, Pakvyr HAYRIKIAN, chairman; National Democratic Union, Vazgen MANUKYAN, chairman; Democratic Liberal Party, Ramkavar AZATAKAN, chairman; Dashnatktsutyan Party, Rouben MIRZAKHANIN; Chairman of Parliamentary opposition - Mekhak GABRIYELYAN Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President: last held 16 October 1990 (next to be held NA); results - elected by the Supreme Soviet, Levon Akopovich TER-PETROSYAN 86%; radical nationalists about 7% Supreme Soviet: last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (259 total); number of seats by party NA Other political or pressure groups: NA Member of: CSCE, NACC, UN, UNCTAD Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires ad interim, Aleksandr ARZOUMANIAN US: Ambassador (vacant); Steven R. MANN, Charge d'Affaires; Embassy at Hotel Hrazdan (telephone 8-011-7-8852-53-53-32); (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone 8-011-7-885-215-1122 (voice and FAX); 8-011-7-885-215-1144 (voice)

:Armenia Government

Flag: NA

:Armenia Economy

Overview: Armenia under the old centrally planned Soviet system had built up textile, machine-building, and other industries and had become a key supplier to sister republics. In turn, Armenia had depended on supplies of raw materials and energy from the other republics. Most of these supplies enter the republic by rail through Azerbaijan (85%) and Georgia (15%). The economy has been severely hurt by ethnic strife with Azerbaijan over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave within the national boundaries of Azerbaijan. In addition to outright warfare, the strife has included interdiction of Armenian imports on the Azerbaijani railroads and expensive airlifts of supplies to beleagured Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. An earthquake in December 1988 destroyed about one-tenth of industrial capacity and housing, the repair of which has not been possible because the supply of funds and real resources has been disrupted by the reorganization and subsequent dismantling of the central USSR administrative apparatus. Among facilities made unserviceable by the earthquake are the Yerevan nuclear power plant, which had supplied 40% of Armenia's needs for electric power and a plant that produced one-quarter of the output of elevators in the former USSR. Armenia has some deposits of nonferrous metal ores (bauxite, copper, zinc, and molybdenum) that are largely unexploited. For the mid-term, Armenia's economic prospects seem

## particularly bleak because of ethnic strife and the unusually high

dependence on outside areas, themselves in a chaotic state of transformation. GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate --10% (1991) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 91% Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA Exports: $176 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, ferrous and nonferrous metals, and chemicals (1991) partners: NA Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: machinery, energy, consumer goods (1991) partners: NA External debt: $650 million (December 1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate --9.6% (1991) Electricity: NA kW capacity; 10,433 million kWh produced, about 3,000 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: diverse, including (in percent of output of former USSR) metalcutting machine tools (6.7%), forging-pressing machines (4.7%), electric motors (8.7%), tires (2.1%), knitted wear (5.6%), hosiery (2.3%), shoes (2.2%), silk fabric (5.3%), washing machines (2.0%); also chemicals, trucks, watches, instruments, and microelectronics

:Armenia Economy

Agriculture: only 10% of land area is arable; employs 18% of labor force; citrus, cotton, and dairy farming; vineyards near Yerevan are famous for brandy and other liqueurs Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis mostly for domestic consumption; used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe Economic aid: NA Currency: as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency Exchange rates: NA Fiscal year: calendar year

:Armenia Communications

Railroads: 840 km all 1.000-meter gauge (includes NA km electrified); does not include industrial lines (1990) Highways: 11,300 km total (1990); 10,500 km hard surfaced, 800 km earth Inland waterways: NA km perennially navigable Pipelines: NA Ports: none - landlocked Merchant marine: none: landlocked Civil air: none Airports: NA total, NA usable; NA with permanent-surface runways; NA with runways over 3,659 m; NA with runways 2,440-3,659 m; NA with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: Armenia has about 260,000 telephones, of which about 110,000 are in Yerevan; average telephone density is 8 per 100 persons; international connections to other former republics of the USSR are by landline or microwave and to other countries by satellite and by leased connection through the Moscow international gateway switch; broadcast stations - 100% of population receives Armenian and Russian TV programs; satellite earth station - INTELSAT

:Armenia Defense Forces

Branches: Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard; CIS Forces (Ground and Air Defense) Manpower availability: males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP

:Aruba Geography

Total area: 193 km2 Land area: 193 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 68.5 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: none Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100% Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt Note: 28 km north of Venezuela

:Aruba People

Population: 64,692 (July 1992), growth rate 0.7% (1992) Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: --3 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Aruban(s); adjective - Aruban Ethnic divisions: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80% Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986) Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)

:Aruba Government

Long-form name: none Type: part of the Dutch realm - full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles Capital: Oranjestad Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands) Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm); note - in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996 Constitution: 1 January 1986 Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten) Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice Leaders: Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986) Head of Government: Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989) Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny NISBET; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86 (AD '86), Arturo ODUBER; Organization for Aruban Liberty (OHA), Glenbert CROES; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: Legislature: last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by NA January 1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1 Member of: ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate) Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands) Flag: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner

:Aruba Economy

Overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1991. The reopening of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $854 million, per capita $13,600; real growth rate l0% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 3% (1991 est.) Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988) Exports: $134.4 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: mostly petroleum products partners: US 64%, EC Imports: $488 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures partners: US 8%, EC External debt: $81 million (1987) Industrial production: growth rate NA Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,000 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining Agriculture: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220 million Currency: Aruban florin (plural - florins); 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986) Fiscal year: calendar year

:Aruba Communications

Highways: Aruba has a system of all-weather highways Ports: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas Civil air: Air Aruba has a fleet of 3 intermediate-range Boeing aircraft Airports: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights Telecommunications: generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay links; 72,168 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to Sint Maarten

:Aruba Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Geography

Total area: 5 km2 Land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 74.1 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 12 nm Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploration Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 3 nm Disputes: none Climate: tropical Terrain: low with sand and coral Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other - grass and sand 100% Environment: surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 Note: located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia, 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands People

Population: no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Government

Long-form name: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands Type: territory of Australia administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories - Roslyn KELLY Capital: none; administered from Canberra, Australia Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia) Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Economy

Overview: no economic activity

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Communications

Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force

:Atlantic Ocean Geography

Total area: 82,217,000 km2 Land area: 82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies Comparative area: slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean) Coastline: 111,866 km Disputes: some maritime disputes (see littoral states) Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin; maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones Environment: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic Note: ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic from October to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can be a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic shipping lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways

:Atlantic Ocean Economy

Overview: Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural resources, especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and crude oil and natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).

:Atlantic Ocean Communications

Ports: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad; Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) Telecommunications: numerous submarine cables with most between continental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the Mediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via INTELSAT satellite network

:Australia Geography

Total area: 7,686,850 km2 Land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US Land boundaries: none Coastline: 25,760 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 12 nm Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north 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, crude oil Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL% Environment: subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country

:Australia People

Population: 17,576,354 (July 1992), growth rate 1.4% (1992) Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Australian(s); adjective - Australian Ethnic divisions: Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1% Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3% Languages: English, native languages Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.) Labor force: 8,630,000 (September 1991); finance and services 33.8%, public and community services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing and industry 16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987) Organized labor: 40% of labor force (November 1991)

:Australia Government