Economics of Australia

Economic stats:

1. GDP- $960.7 billion
2. GDP per capita- $42,400
3. Life expectancy- 81.9 years: 79.48 years for males and 84.45 years for females
4. Poverty rate- 12.8% in 2010 (ABC News)
5. Literacy rate- 99% of the population 15 years and older
6. Unemployment rate- 5.2%
7. Inflation- 2.1%

Resources:
Natural resources: Australia has a tropical climate to the north with a rainy season from about November through April, and a temperate climate in the south with a more even annual distribution of rainfall (The Australian Bureau of Statistics). The middle of the continent is generally air to semiarid. They are also the world's largest net exporter of  coal at 29% of global coal exports. Winter crops are cereals, grains, legumes, and canola are harvested between September and January. Summer crops are sorghum, sunflowers, and soybeans and are harvested between February to May. Cotton harvesting occurs from March until late May. (AG Workforce). In high rainfall areas, fruit and vegetable growing and dairying are very important in the south, while sugar cane growing and tropical fruits and vegetables are prevalent in the north. The "wheat belt" is located between the moist coasts and arid interior (Australian Government).

The Murray and the Darling rivers make up the Murray-Darling river basin that measures over 2,500 kilometers long. Some other famous rivers are the Snowy river and the Murrumbidgee.

Labor: The amount of Australian's employed increased to 11,599,900 in March (Australian Bureau of Statistics). Percentage of labor force by occupation includes agriculture at 3.6%, industry at 21.1%, and services at 75%. Australian's attend primary school until about age 6 or 7 and then secondary school until about age 17. After secondary school students can attend a Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector or attend University as an undergraduate for three years, unlike the four year program of the United States.

Capital: Some primary industries in Australia and agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining, chemicals, and industrial and transportation equipment. The industrial production growth rate is -0.1% as of 2011 (CIA World Factbook). In 2009, 15.8 million Australian were internet users. The Australian Infrastructure Statistics Yearbook 2012 is presented online by the Australian government and gives statistics on transportation, energy, communications, and water infrastructure and the use of this infrastructure in Australia.