Capital: Canberra
Largest city: Sydney
Area: 7.7 million sq km (2.9 million sq miles)
Major language: English
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 84 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Australian dollar = 100 cents
Main exports: Ores and metals; wool, food and live animals; fuels, transport machinery and equipment
GNI per capita: US $49,790 (World Bank, 2011)
International dialing code: +61