Which city is Australia's national capital?

Australia's national capital is Canberra. It is located in the Australian Capital Territory, an inland territory surrounded by New South Wales, and is the seat of the federal Parliament and national government.

Canberra was chosen as a compromise after rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. Australia's Constitution required the national capital to be established in its own territory within New South Wales, at least 100 miles from Sydney. Melbourne served as the temporary federal capital while Canberra was planned and built.

The city was formally named Canberra on 12 March 1913, and the federal government moved there from Melbourne in 1927. American architect Walter Burley Griffin and architect Marion Mahony Griffin designed the city around geometric avenues, open spaces, and views toward surrounding hills. Lake Burley Griffin later became its central landmark.

Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the other state capitals are important regional capitals, but none is Australia's national capital. Canberra is also unusual because it was purpose-built to function as the nation's political centre rather than growing primarily from an earlier colonial settlement.