Commonwealth of Australia

Form of government: Federal Parliamentary democracy

Population: 21,515,754 (2010 estimate)

Capital: Canberra

Area: 7, 682, 300 km2, 2, 966, 200 sq mi

Largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide

Ethnic groups: White 91%, Asian 7%, Aboriginal and other 2%

Languages: English (official), indigenous language

Religious affiliations: Roman Catholic 29%, Anglican 22%, Protestant 14%, Other Christian 15%, Other 20%

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GDP): 4.5% (2005)

Number of years of compulsory schooling: 11 years (2007)

Monetary unit: 1 Australian dollar ($A), consisting of 100 cents

Economy: Agriculture (wheat and other grains, wool, beef, vegetables, fruits, cotton, sugarcane), Forestry, Fishing, Mining (coal, bauxite, alumina, iron ore, gold, silver, diamonds, petroleum, natural gas, zinc, copper, manganese, titanium, nickel, tin, lead, uranium, zircon, tungsten), Manufacturing (metals and metal products, food products, transportation equipment, machinery, chemicals and chemical products, textiles and clothing, wood and paper products, printed materials), Services.

Major trade partners for exports: Japan, United States, South Korea, China, New Zealand

Major trade partners for imports: United States, Japan, China, Germany, United Kingdom