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| Canberra |
Name of city: Canberra
Population : 381,488 (2013)
Established: 12 March 1913
Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Area: 814.2
km2 (314.4 sq mi)
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| Canberra–Nara park with Kasuga stone lanterns framed by the gate |
Canberra 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 the American Federal District of Columbia. Following an
international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by the Chicago
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.
The city's design was influenced by the
garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation
that have earned Canberra the title of the "bush capital". The growth
and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great
Depression, which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the
ineffectiveness of a procession of bodies that were created in turn to oversee
the development of the city. The national capital emerged as a thriving city
after World War II, as Prime Minister Robert Menzies championed its development
and the National Capital Development Commission was formed with executive
powers. Although the Australian Capital Territory is now self-governing, the
federal government retains some influence through the National Capital
Authority.
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| Panorama of Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin set against the backdrop of distant New South Wales |
As the seat of the government of Australia,
Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court and numerous
government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and
cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War
Memorial, Australian National University, Australian Institute of Sport,
National Gallery, National Museum and the National Library. The Australian
Army's officer corps are trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and
the Australian Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital. The ACT,
like Washington, D.C. in the United States, is independent of any state, to
prevent any one state from gaining an advantage by hosting the seat of Federal
power. Unlike Washington, however, the ACT has voting representation in the
Federal Parliament, and has its own independent Legislative Assembly and
government, similar to the states. As the city has a high proportion of public servants,
the federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State
Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra. As the seat of
government, the unemployment rate is lower and the average income higher than
the national average, while property prices are relatively high, in part due to
comparatively restricted development regulations. Tertiary education levels are
higher, while the population is younger.
Street
View of Canberra
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