Canberra is the capital city of Australia and with a population of just over 323,000 is Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 km southwest of Sydney, and 650 km north-east of Melbourne. Canberra is about three hours by road from Sydney on the Federal Highway, which connects with the Hume Highway (National Highway 23) near Goulburn, and seven hours by road from Melbourne on the Barton Highway (National Highway 25), which joins the Hume Highway at Yass.
Canberra was selected as the location of the National Capital in 1908 as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne and is unusual amongst Australian capital cities as an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913.
Canberra covers an area of 805.6 km² and is located near the Brindabella Ranges, approximately 150 kilometres inland from Australia's east coast. It is located at altitudes that range from 550 m to 700 m above sea level. The highest point is Mount Majura at 888 m.
The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital." Although the growth and development of Canberra was hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city post-World War II.
As Australia's seat of government, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and numerous government departments; it is also the location of numerous social and cultural institutions of national significance.
The word "Canberra" is said to be derived from the name of the local Ngabri people, one of the Ngunnawal family groups, or alternatively from the word Kambera meaning "meeting place" in the Ngunnawal language.
Due to its elevation and distance from the coast, Canberra has four distinct seasons, unlike many other Australian cities whose climates are moderated by the sea. Canberra is notorious for hot, dry summers, and cold winters with heavy fog and frequent frosts, with snow only very occasionally.
As of 2003, the population of Canberra was 323,004 persons, and the city has a population density of 401.0 persons/km², which is dense with respect to other Australian cities.
Canberra is home to many national monuments and institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery currently housed at Old Parliament House, the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, and the National Museum of Australia. Many Commonwealth government buildings in Canberra are open to the public, including Parliament House, the High Court and the Royal Australian Mint. Lake Burley Griffin is the site of the Captain Cook Memorial and the National Carillon. Other sites of interest include the Telstra Tower and the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Black Mountain, the National Zoo and Aquarium on Scrivener Dam, the National Dinosaur Museum and Questacon (the National Science and Technology Centre).
 |
