Canberra

Canberra
Australian Capital Territory

Canberra, with the old and new Parliament House in the centre, viewed from Mount Ainslie

Aerial view of Canberra facing north with the suburbs of Barton and Forrest visible

Canberra

Coordinates

35°18′27″S 149°07′27.9″E / 35.30750°S 149.124417°ECoordinates: 35°18′27″S 149°07′27.9″E / 35.30750°S 149.124417°E

Population

381,488 (2013) (8th)

• Density

428.6/km² (1,110/sq mi)

Established

12 March 1913

Elevation

577 m (1,893 ft)

Area

814.2 km² (314.4 sq mi)

Time zone

AEST (UTC+10)

• Summer (DST)

AEDT (UTC+11)

Location

248 km (154 mi) SW of Sydney
654 km (406 mi) NE of Melbourne
958 km (595 mi) E of Adelaide
945 km (587 mi) SSW of Brisbane
3,087 km (1,918 mi) ESE of Perth

Territory electorate(s)

Federal Division(s)

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
19.7 °C ^{67 °F}	6.5 °C ^{44 °F}	616.4 mm ^{24.3 in}

Canberra (/ˈkænbrə/ or /ˈkænbərə/) is the capital city of Australia. With a population of 381,488, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. A resident of Canberra is known as a "Canberran".

The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city outside of any state, similar to Washington, D.C. in the United States, or Brasília in Brazil. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory.

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