it drugs: Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of
licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over
areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw
concentrate

Exports: $51.57 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and
transport equipment
partners: Japan 25%, US 11%, South Korea 6%, NZ 5.7%, UK, Taiwan,
Singapore, Hong Kong (1992)

Imports: $57.41 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office
machines, crude oil and petroleum products
partners: US 23%, Japan 18%, UK 6%, Germany 5.7%, NZ 4% (1992)

External debt: $147.2 billion (1994)

Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $953 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3477 (January
1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3668 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992),
1.2835 (1991)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Transportation
--------------

Railways:
total: 38,563 km (2,914 km electrified; 172 km dual gauge)
broad gauge: 6,083 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge: 16,752 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 15,728 km 1.067-m gauge

Highways:
total: 810,264 km
paved: 283,592 km (including 1,200 km of expressways)
unpaved: 526,672 km (1989 est.)

Waterways: 8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft

Pipelines: crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural
gas 5,600 km

Ports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle,
Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceton (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne,
Sydney, Townsville

Merchant marine:
total: 76 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,547,869 GRT/3,679,534
DWT
ships by type: bulk 30, cargo 4, chemical tanker 3, combination bulk
1, container 6, liquefied gas tanker 6, oil tanker 18,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 1 (1995 est.)

Airports:
total: 442
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 9
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 13
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 106
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 116
with paved runways under 914 m: 30
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 22
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 146 (1995 est.)

Communications
--------------

Telephones: 8.7 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: good domestic and international service
domestic: domestic satellite system
international: submarin