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Australian States: New South Wales

Fact Sheet

December 1994

Source: 
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
International Public Affairs Branch






New South Wales is in the south-east part of the Australian continent and is the most populous 
(5.6million) and heavily industrialised State in Australia, with a highly urbanised population. 

Its capital is Sydney, Australia's largest city (population 3.7 million) and one of the world's
 great seaports. It is also an important international finance centre. The total area of the State is   802 000km2 or 10.4 per cent of Australia's total area and includes Lord Howe, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. 

Sydney will host the 2000 Olympics. 

Physical features 

 Natural features divide the State into four main zones extending from north to south.

 1. Seaboard and coastal lowlands with a 1460 km coastline broken by few inlets of varying sizes. 
           
2. Tablelands formed by the Great Dividing Range and comprising an almost
     unbroken series of plateau varying in width from 50 km to 160 km and forming
     the main watershed where the coastal rivers and those which flow inland
    originate. The Snowy Mountains region has the highest peak on the continent,
    Mount Kosciusko, which is 2228 m. 
 3. Western slopes which is a fertile, undulating region with rich plains along rivers
      flowing inland and some rugged areas. Generally regular and adequate rainfall has
       led to extensive cultivation. 
   4. Western plains comprising almost two-thirds of the State. The soil is fertile, but
     poor rainfall and limited river water and high temperatures seldom enable it to
   realise its agricultural or pastoral potential. 
 There are two distinct groups of rivers - the short, fast-flowing coastal streams which
 drain about one-sixth of the state but carry more than two-thirds of its water; and the inland
  rivers, part of the Murray-Darling system. The main rivers are the Hawkesbury, Hunter,Macleay, Clarence, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, Macquarie-Bogan, Namoi, Gwydir and
  Castlereagh. 

Climate 

 New South Wales lies in the temperate zone and the climate is generally free from extremes of heat and cold. The greatest heat is usually experienced in the north-west; a shade
temperature of more than 51¡C has been recorded at Bourke. The coldest region is the Snowy Mountains, where winter frosts and snow are experienced over long periods. Rainfall varies widely over the state, gradually diminishing to an annual average of 180 mm in the far north-west. 

Government
 
 The State Government is made up of the Crown, represented by the Governor, and the
 Parliament, consisting of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. The
 Legislative Assembly, or Lower House, consists of 99 members elected for a maximum of
 four years by universal adult suffrage. The Legislative Council, or Upper House, has 42
 members. The term of office of 21 members expires at each election, at which 21 members
  are elected. 

Economy
 
 The bases of the State's economy are agricultural and pastoral industries, a broadly based
  manufacturing sector, ample stocks of coal and highly developed service industries. 
 New South Wales's rich agriculture and mining sectors form the mainstay of its
   export-earning ability, accounting for almost 50 per cent of export income. The State's
   resource-based industries are coal, metallic and industrial minerals, minerals processing,
  chemicals, pulp and paper, processed food and agricultural products.  New South Wales generates more than 35 per cent of Australia's goods and services and sends more than 60 per cent of its exports to Asia - a larger amount than any other Australian State. It attracts more than a third of all foreign investment into the country. 

Rural industry
  Main primary industries are beef cattle, wool, wheat, hay, lucerne, oats, rice, maize, fruit,
  vegetables, fishing including oyster farming, and forestry including wood chipping. 

  The coastal region is mostly used for mixed farming, including dairying and timber. In the
   warmer northern section, sugar and bananas are grown, mainly in the Tweed, Richmond
   and Clarence river areas. Beef cattle are grazed extensively on the ranges, and large
   quantities of butter and milk are processed at cooperative factories along the coast. 

   The world's finest wools are grown on the tablelands as well as lamb and beef. There are
   pockets of agriculture in areas of rich volcanic loams. The western slopes is a major area
    for fine-wool sheep, beef cattle and wheat. In the north, lambs, pigs and fodder crops are
    produced, particularly in the Namoi Valley and around Inverell. A cotton industry is
    centred on Wee Waa. On the central slopes are many orchards; the main crops are cherries,
    apples and pears. Bathurst and Cowra have a vegetable canning industry. In addition to
     sheep, cattle and wheat, the south-western slopes produce fodder crops, notably at
     Gundagai and Wagga Wagga. 

  The eastern part of the western plains is the main wool and wheat area of the State. In the
   Riverina district of the central plains lies a large area irrigated from the Murrumbidgee
   River, where farmers produce orchard crops, grapes, rice, lambs and hay. The western
   plains form a semi-arid area where raising sheep for wool is the only significant industry,
   apart from the lead-zinc mining at Broken Hill. Orchards and vineyards lie along the
   Murray River. 

Minerals 
 The mainstay of the State's mineral production is the huge basin of high-quality black coal
  under the central coast and Blue Mountains area. Coal is mined extensively in the Hunter
  River Valley, the Illawarra coast south of Sydney and around Lithgow. Production in
  1992 was 85 million tonnes of product coal. Other important minerals are lead and zinc
  concentrates mined at Broken Hill, and mineral sands (rutile and zircon) from the beach
  areas of the central and north coast. 

Secondary industry
 
 New South Wales leads Australia in manufacturing production. Its chief manufactures
  include machinery, electrical goods (including radio, television and other communications
  equipment), basic metal products, chemicals and fertilisers, processed food and beverages.
 The State manufactured 4764 million tonnes of raw steel, including casting in 1990-91. 

Overseas trade

  New South Wales is Australia's largest trading State. In 1992-93, imports were worth
  $26.4 billion and exports $13.2 billion. The main imports were office machines and
  automatic data processing equipment, road vehicles, petroleum and petroleum products,
  telecommunication and sound recording equipment, and electrical machinery and
  appliances. The main exports were coal and coke, cereals and cereal preparations, textile
  fibres, petroleum and petroleum products, and iron and steel. Major export markets were
  Japan, New Zealand, the United States and the Republic of Korea. 

      
Transport
 
 The main public transport services are owned and operated by the State Government. All
  railways except for a few short lines maintained by industrial undertakings are
   administered by the State Rail Authority. There are 13 906 km of railway line open for
  traffic. Most of the bus services in Sydney and Newcastle are operated by the State Transit
   Authority, but in other centres mainly by private enterprise. Heavy road haulage is
   conducted by private operators. Major port and harbour facilities are under government
   control and are administered through the Maritime Services Board. 

Education
 
 Attendance at school is compulsory for children between six and 15. In public schools,
  education is free. In 1994, 756 114 children in New South Wales attended primary and
  secondary schools . Some 68,874 students undertook tertiary studies while, in 1993,
 around 662,501 students were enrolled in TAFE colleges. 

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