Half of the Australian Capital Territory consists of nature reserves and Namadgi National Park. Yet this would be more impressive if we did not consider the Territory's miniscule size by comparison to other Australian States. The Australian Capital Territory is 50 miles (80km) from north to south and about 20 miles (30km) wide, carved out of pre-existing land because of a diplomatic compromise. Canberra was chosen as Australia's capital city in 1908, resolving a long-running debate between the main rivals of Sydney and Melbourne, and the Australian Capital Territory is the land that was placed
around it.
Yet the beauty of the countryside suggests that size is not everything. There are parks and hills to roam, bushland to frolic in, wineries and wildlife parks. The Snowy Mountains, jutting out of nearby New South Wales, are a brilliant border to the Territory's picture-perfect scene.
Despite the world-famous cities of Melbourne and Sydney in relatively close proximity, Canberra retains its own distinct atmosphere. The city was designed by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin and is a deliberately spacious city, from its large areas of parkland to the 11km- (7 mile-) lake to the circular layout around the Parliamentary Center. It is the fitting hub of a delightful State, all the better to explore because of its compact size.
GeographyCanberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, and was conceived in the early 1900s in order to create a capital city in a federal State separate from any of the uniting States. Spectacular green countryside is ringed by mountains nearly 600m (2,000ft) above sea level. Lake Burley-Griffin, a humanmade lake, is the centerpiece of this constantly expanding modern capital. Hills, trees and greenery remain prominent among the architecture of a city that is attractive, tidy, spacious and efficient as befits the national capital city.
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