Australia           Introduction        

Background:         Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999.

Australia           Geography  

Location:         Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:        27 00 S, 133 00 E

Map references:         Oceania

Area: total:  7,686,850 sq km

land:  7,617,930 sq km

water:  68,920 sq km

note:  includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area - comparative:        slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the US

Land boundaries:         0 km

Coastline:         25,760 km