Canberra

Canberra is the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia and, with a population of just over 323,000, is also Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 km southwest of Sydney, and 650 km northeast of Melbourne. Unique in Australia as an entirely purpose-built, planned city, Canberra was selected as the location of the National Capital in 1908. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra was hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city post-World War II.

Demographics

As of 2003, the population of Canberra was 323,004 persons and the city has a population density of 401.0 persons/km² which is dense with respect to other Australian cities. The 2001 census showed that 1.2% of Canberra's population were of indigenous origin and 21.6% were born overseas. {{mn|2001census|6}} The largest group of people born overseas came from English-speaking countries, led by England and then New Zealand. Significant numbers of immigrants have also come from Germany, Scotland, Italy and Vietnam. Recent immigrants have arrived from countries in east and south Asia.{{mn|CanberraDemographicProfile|7}} Most Canberrans are native speakers of English; many have a second language, the most common being Chinese, Italian and Croatian.

Related Topics:
East - South Asia - English - Chinese - Italian - Croatian

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Canberrans are relatively young, highly mobile, and well educated. The average age is 32 years, and only 8.3% of the population is aged over 65 years.{{mn|2001census|6}} Between 1996 and 2001, 61.9% of the population turned over, which is the second highest rate of any Australian capital city.{{mn|ABSmobility|8}} As of May 2004, 30% of people in the ACT aged 15–64 had a level of educational attainment equal to at least an bachelor's degree, significantly higher that the national average of 19%. {{mn|2004Education|9}} As of the 2001 census, approximately 63% of Canberra residents describe themselves as christian, the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican, less that 3% of the population practice a non-christian religion and 19% are not religious.

Related Topics:
Bachelor's degree - Catholic - Anglican

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