What is the capital of Australia?
VerifiedAnswer: Canberra
Explanation:
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and serves as the seat of the Australian federal government. Many students are surprised to learn this because cities like Sydney and Melbourne are much more famous and populous, but Canberra was specifically chosen and designed to be the nation's capital.
The city was established in 1913 as a planned capital, similar to Washington D.C. in the United States. The decision to create Canberra came about because Sydney and Melbourne were competing to be the national capital when Australia became a federation in 1901. To resolve this rivalry, the government decided to build a completely new city that would be located between these two major cities.
Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which is a small territory completely surrounded by New South Wales. The city's design was based on plans by American architect Walter Burley Griffin, who won an international competition to design the new capital. His design incorporated the natural landscape and created a city with wide boulevards, parks, and artificial lakes.
Today, Canberra houses all the important government buildings including Parliament House, the High Court of Australia, and various government departments. The city is also home to many national institutions like the Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, and several universities. Despite being the capital, Canberra has a relatively small population of around 430,000 people, making it much smaller than Sydney or Melbourne, but it remains the political and administrative heart of Australia.
