th deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount
Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver,
uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural
gas, petroleum

Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 24,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires

Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial
development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity
rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for
agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal
and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the
largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and
its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country;
population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts;
regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs
along the west coast in the summer

People Australia

Population: 19,546,792 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 2,046,052; female 1,949,725)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,610,840; female 6,480,354) 65 years and over:
12.6% (male 1,078,506; female 1,381,315) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.96% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 12.71 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.9 deaths/1