Background: Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000
years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No
formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took
possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late
18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia
in 1901. The new country took 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. In recent decades,
Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced
market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during
the 1990's, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the
1980's. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the
ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the
Great Barrier Reef.
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Population: 20,090,437 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.8% (male 2,038,809/female 1,943,563)
15-64
years: 67.2% (male 6,815,600/female 6,695,189)
65 years and over:
12.9% (male 1,145,274/female 1,452,002) (2005 est.)
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