p The greater part of the Commonwealth of Australia lies in tropical and subtropical zones of the southern hemisphere. Almost equal to Canada in area, Australia has a population half that of Canada. Australia occupies eighth place among the capitalist countries for volume of industrial production.

p There are vast mineral resources in the country, and the annual production of lead, zinc and copper ores, bauxites, tungsten, cobalt, antimony, tantalum, uranium, beryllium, bismuth and other rare metals runs into hundreds of thousands of tons. The output of iron and manganese ores is mounting.

p Iron and steel and non-ferrous metal production is an important branch of the manufacturing industry. The annual output of steel has reached seven million tons. Australia ranks second in the capitalist world for the production of lead and third for the production of zinc. Ores and metals account for approximately 10 per cent of Australian exports to the western countries.

p The engineering, oil refining and chemical industries are yielding a growing share of the manufacturing industry output. Motor vehicles, machine-tools, instruments and diverse industrial and farm equipment are manufactured in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities.

p Oil production is small, and the oil refineries in Australian ports distil imported crude oil. Local coal deposits and the hydropower resources of the rivers are the chief source of electricity (annual output close on 56,000 million kwh).

p Australia’s large capitalist farms specialise in beef cattlebreeding and grain growing. For the number of sheep, and the production and export of wool Australia holds first place in the world. Agriculture also includes dairy farming. A considerable part of the meat products, butter and cheese is exported.

p Wheat is the stable crop. The annual harvest is close to 15 million tons, of which more than a half is exported. On the whole, agricultural production accounts for two-thirds of the total value of Australian exports. Cane sugar is also exported.

p The southeast, the principal economic region, is the most densely populated part of the country. It yields threequarters of the total agricultural and four-fifths of the industrial output. Sydney (population 2.6 million with environs) is Australia’s biggest city, industrial centre and port. Newcastle has developed metallurgical, shipbuilding and other industries. Melbourne (population 2.3 million with environs) is a major industrial centre and port. Industrial production is small in Canberra, capital of the Commonwealth of Australia.

p Other regions of Australia are her agrarian and raw materials appendages.

The indigenous Australians live in less developed regions. The capitalist social system has doomed the Australian aborigines to gradual extinction. Likewise onerous are the economic and social conditions in Papua and other Australian colonial possessions in Oceania.