Canberra (Australia)

Canberra Australian Capital Territory
Canberra, with the old and new Parliament House in the centre, viewed from Mount Ainslie
City map plan of Canberra.
Canberra
Coordinates	35°18′27″S 149°07′27.9″E / 35.30750°S 149.124417°E / -35.30750; 149.124417Coordinates: 35°18′27″S 149°07′27.9″E / 35.30750°S 149.124417°E / -35.30750; 149.124417
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)	Brindabella Ginninderra Kurrajong Murrumbidgee Yerrabi
Federal Division(s)	Canberra Fenner
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 (ⁱ/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". Although Canberra is the capital and seat of government, many federal government ministries have secondary seats in Sydney, as does the Governor-General and the Prime Minister.

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.