The 2005 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

rate (consumer prices):

       2.3% (2004 est.)

      Investment (gross fixed):

       25.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

      Budget:

       revenues: $222.7 billion

       expenditures: $221.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA

       (2004 est.)

      Public debt:

       17.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

      Agriculture - products:

       wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry

      Industries:

       mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing,

       chemicals, steel

      Industrial production growth rate:

       1.9% (2004 est.)

      Electricity - production:

       210.3 billion kWh (2002)

      Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.9% (2001)

      Electricity - consumption:

       195.6 billion kWh (2002)

      Electricity - exports:

       0 kWh (2002)

      Electricity - imports:

       0 kWh (2002)

      Oil - production:

       537,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

      Oil - consumption:

       796,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

      Oil - exports:

       523,400 bbl/day (2001)

      Oil - imports:

       530,800 bbl/day (2001)

      Oil - proved reserves:

       3.664 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

      Natural gas - production:

       33.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)

      Natural gas - consumption:

       23.33 billion cu m (2001 est.)

      Natural gas - exports:

       9.744 billion cu m (2001 est.)

      Natural gas - imports:

       0 cu m (2001 est.)

      Natural gas - proved reserves:

       2.407 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

      Current account balance:

       $-38.3 billion (2004 est.)

      Exports:

       $86.89 billion (2004 est.)

      Exports - commodities:

       coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and

       transport equipment

      Exports - partners:

       Japan 18.6%, China 9.2%, US 8.1%, South Korea 7.7%, New Zealand

       7.4%, India 4.6%, UK 4.2% (2004)

      Imports:

       $98.1 billion (2004 est.)

      Imports - commodities:

       machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines,

       telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum

       products

      Imports - partners:

       US 14.8%, China 12.7%, Japan 11.8%, Germany 5.8%, Singapore 4.4%,

       UK 4.1% (2004)

      Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

       $35.14 billion (2004 est.)

      Debt - external:

       $308.7 billion (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)

      Economic aid - donor:

       ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)

      Currency (code):

       Australian dollar (AUD)

      Currency code:

       AUD

      Exchange rates:

       Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003),

       1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)

      Fiscal year:

       1 July - 30 June

      Communications Australia

      Telephones - main lines in use:

       10.815 million (2003)

      Telephones - mobile cellular:

       14.347 million (2003)

      Telephone system:

       general assessment: excellent domestic and international service

       domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in

       areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular

       telephones

       international: country code - 61; submarine cables to New Zealand,

       Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10

       Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian

       and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)

      Radio broadcast stations:

       AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

      Radios:

       25.5 million (1997)

      Television broadcast stations:

       104 (1997)

      Televisions:

       10.15 million (1997)

      Internet country code:

       .au

      Internet hosts:

       2,847,763 (2003)

      Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

       571 (2002)

      Internet users:

       9.472 million (2002)

      Transportation Australia

      Railways:

       total: 54,439 km (3859 km electrified)

       broad gauge: 5,434 km 1.600-m gauge

       standard gauge: 34,110 km 1.435-m gauge (1,397 km electrified)

       narrow gauge: 14,895 km 1.067-m gauge (2,462 km electrified)

       dual gauge: 213 km dual gauge (2004)

      Highways:

       total: 811,603 km

       paved: 314,090 km (including 18,619 km of expressways)

       unpaved: 497,513 km (1999 est.)

      Waterways:

       2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling

       river systems) (2004)

      Pipelines:

       condensate/gas 492 km; gas 28,680 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km;

       oil 4,773 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2004)

      Ports and harbors:

       Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,

       Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

      Merchant marine:

       total: 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,531,461 GRT/1,999,409 DWT

       by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, container 1,

       liquefied