Canberra, the national capital of Australia, is contiguous with the Australian Capital Territory (2006 pop., 324,034), an enclave in New South Wales. It is 250 km (155 mi) southwest of Sydney in southeast Australia as located on the the Canberra map. Canberra is small compared with most state capitals, but it is Australia's largest inland city. Including adjacent Queanbeyan, it has a metropolitan-area population of 356,120 (2006). It has long had a high growth rate, having mushroomed from less than 25,000 in the early 1950s.

The people of Canberra are predominantly of British ancestry, but embassy staff members are a conspicuous foreign element. Government is the leading employer, primarily at the white-collar level. The city has little industry.

Canberra is a model of city planning and rigid zoning. Canberra map shows that its focal point is a large artificial lake, Burley Griffin. Another distinguishing characteristic is Canberra's landscaping; the many trees and shrubs have been carefully selected to provide variety in color and texture. For instance, the city gives free plants to owners of new houses. Other visual attractions are the official buildings (especially the embassies), the Australian War Memorial, the National Library, and the New Parliament House. Canberra map reveals a lot about Canberra. Different people with different locations, the languages they follow and the culture can easily be known through Canberra map.

Construction of Canberra began in 1913, based on a design by Walter Burley Griffin, a Chicago architect. Although Griffin was discharged in 1920, the city developed in basic accord with his plan. The first Parliament House opened in 1927; the largely subterranean New Parliament House, on Capital Hill, opened for Australia's 1988 bicentennial. In early 2003, Canberra experienced the worst wildfires in its history which changed its picture on Canberra map. Several hundred homes were destroyed and thousands of people were forced to evacuate.

Canberra is the capital of the nation of Australia. It is part of the Australian Capital Territory, in the southeastern part of the country. Canberra has an area of 12 square miles (31 square kilometers). Its population is about 255,000.

Canberra was planned and designed as Australia's national capital, much as Washington, D.C., was planned as the national capital of the United States.

An artificial lake, Lake Burley Griffin, divides the center of Canberra into northern and southern sections. The sections are connected by two bridges. In the southern section is Capital Hill. Parliament House and other main government buildings are there. The National Gallery and the National Library are also south of the lake. The northern section is the site of the Civic Center. This is the city's main commercial and shopping area. The Australian National University, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Royal Military College are also in the north. So are the Australian War Memorial and the Australian-American Memorial. The Australian-American Memorial is a tall shaft of gleaming metal with the figure of an eagle at its top. It expresses the appreciation of the Australian people for United States assistance during World War II.

Canberra's planners included numerous parks, trees, shrubs, and flowers in the city's design. It is a family-oriented city as well as the seat of government. In the nearby suburbs are spacious residential neighborhoods with many well-equipped schools.

Canberra's economy is based largely on the activities of the federal government. The government employs the majority of the city's workers.

Canberra is a relatively young city. Until the end of the 19th century it was a cluster of scattered houses. A treeless plain, used for grazing sheep, surrounded the town. In 1909 the area was selected as the site of Australia's national capital. A worldwide competition was held in 1911 to choose a plan for the new city. The design of an American architect, Walter Burley Griffin, of Chicago, Illinois, was adopted. Construction began two years later.

The city grew slowly at first. Two world wars and the Great Depression of the 1930's delayed its growth. Parliament moved to the city from Melbourne in 1927. But the real expansion of Canberra began in 1945, following the end of World War II. The name Canberra is believed to come from the language of the Australian aborigines, the country's first inhabitants, and to mean "meeting place." It is an appropriate name for a national capital.