World Country Guide

Population
20,090,437 (estimate 2005).

Population Density
2.54 per sq km.

Capital
Canberra. Population: 309,900 (official estimate 1999).

Geography
Australia is bounded by the Arafura Sea and Timor Seas to the north, the Coral and Tasman Seas of the South Pacific to the east, the Southern Ocean to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west. Its coastline covers 36,738km (22,814 miles). Most of the population has settled along the eastern and south-eastern coastal strip. Australia is the smallest continent (and the largest island) in the world. About 40 per cent of the continent is within the tropics and Australia is almost the same size as the mainland of the United States of America. The terrain is extremely varied, ranging from tortured red desert to lush green rainforest. Australia’s beaches and surfing are world-renowned, while the country is also rich in reminders of its mysterious past. These range from prehistoric Aboriginal art to Victorian colonial architecture. The landscape consists mainly of a low plateau mottled with lakes and rivers and skirted with coastal mountain ranges, highest in the east with the Great Dividing Range. There are rainforests in the far northeast (Cape York Peninsula). The southeast is a huge fertile plain. Further to the north lies the enormous Great Barrier Reef, a 2000km (1200 mile) strip of coral that covers a total area of 345,000 sq km. Although Australia is the driest land on Earth, it nevertheless has enormous snowfields the size of Switzerland. There are vast mineral deposits. More detailed geographical descriptions of each State can be found in the individual State entries.

Government
Constitutional Monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1901. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor-General Michael Jefferey since 2003. Head of Government: Prime Minister John Winston Howard since 1996. All individual States and Territories have their own autonomous legislative, executive and judicial systems (though certain powers remain under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government).

Language
The official language is English. Many other languages are retained by minorities, including Italian, German, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese dialects and Aboriginal languages.

Religion
26 per cent Roman Catholic, 24 per cent Protestant and smaller minorities of all other major religions.

Time
Australia spans three time zones:

Northeast/southeast
1. GMT + 10 (GMT + 11 October to March, except Queensland).

Central
2. GMT + 9.5 (GMT + 10.5 October to March, except Northern Territory).

West
3. GMT + 8.
Some States operate daylight saving time during the Australian summer. Clocks in these States are put forward by one hour in October and put back again in March.

Electricity
220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Three-pin plugs are in use, however sockets are different from those found in most countries and an adaptor socket may be needed. Outlets for 110 volts for small appliances are found in most hotels.

Communications

Telephone
There are full facilities for national and international telecommunications. Full IDD is available. Country code: 61. Outgoing international code: 0011. Payphones are red, green, gold or blue. Only local calls can be made from red phones. Green, gold and blue phones also have International Direct Dialling (IDD) and Subscriber Trunk Dial (STD). The cost of a local phone call is 40c. Telstra Smart Phonecards are available at newsagents, supermarkets and chemists and can be bought in denominations of A$5, 10 and 20 and used for local, STD or international calls. Creditphones, which take most major credit cards, can be found at airports, city-centre locations and many hotels. Multimedia payphones are available in parts of Melbourne and Sydney. A touch screen allows visitors to gain access to information services, including tourist information which can be printed off for future reference. Phonecards for these telephones can be purchased from nearby shops.

Mobile telephone
Network operators include GSM 900 Optus (website: www.optus.net.au), GSM 900/1800 networks Telstra (website: www.telstra.com) and Vodafone (website: www.vodafone.com.au), and 3G Hutchison (website: www.three.com.au). Coverage extends to all major cities including good coverage in Tasmania; access in some of the more isolated, outback and rural areas is limited. US handsets are not compatible.

Fax
Services are widely available from various retail outlets. Free collection by courier is available in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Fax number guides are available at post offices, and prices vary. Services are hard to find in the outback.

Internet
Internet cafes are prevalent in all capital cities, including Tasmania, and individual hotels may also provide facilities. ISPs include BigPond (website: www.bigpond.com), Hunterlink (website: www.pacific.net.au), Tassienet (website: www.tassie.net.au) and Telstra.

Post
There are post offices in all the main towns of every State. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; some post office are also open Sat 0900-1200. Stamps are often available at hotel and motel reception areas and selected newsagents. Poste Restante facilities are available at selected post offices throughout the country; mail is held for 30 days free of charge.

Press
The main daily newspapers are The Australian and Australian Financial Review. Newspapers generally have a high circulation throughout the continent.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.