Sydney, the capital of New South Wales is the largest city in Australia and Oceania. It has a population of approximately 4.5 million Sydneysiders, as the residents are commonly known. Sydney was the first British colony and established in the year 1788 by Arthur Philip. Sydney was awarded the Alpha World City + status which is granted to cities which are global centers for commerce, arts, fashion, culture, entertainment, education and tourism. The city has hosted many events including the prestigious 2000 Olympics.
Geography
Urban Sydney lies mostly in a coastal basin and is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the East, the Blue Mountains to the West, the Hawkesbury River to the North and Royal National Park brings up the South. It has 70 harbor and oceanic beaches, including the famous Bondi Beach. Sydney’s urban area covers 1687 sq.km and its unofficial metropolitan area covers 12,145sq.km approximately. Sydney lies over mainly two regions: the Cumberland Plain and the North Shore. Sydney has a temperate climate with warm summers and cool winters. Around 15 days in summer record a temperature over 30 degrees Celsius. January is the hottest month while July is the coldest when the temperature is around 8-16.2 degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall is around 1,217 mm.12% of the total national agricultural production is from Sydney.
Economy
People are mostly employed in the sectors of property, business, retail, manufacturing, health and community services .Sydney provides approximately for 25 percent of the nation’s GDP. The unemployment rate in Sydney was 4.9 percent as of 2004.More than half of Australia’s top companies and 90 leading banks have their headquarters in Sydney. The regional headquarters of around 500 multinational companies are also based in Sydney.
Demographics
According to the 2006 census, 4,119,190 residents were reported of which 3,641,422 lived in Sydney’s urban area. Inner Sydney the most densely populated region has a density of 4,023 inhabitants per square km. The average age of Sydney residents is 34, while 12 % of the population is over 65 years old. Mainly people immigrate from United Kingdom, China and New Zealand.
Culture
Sydney hosts many international cultural and social festivals like the Sydney Festival, the Big Day Out, etc. Sydney has the iconic Sydney Opera House which has five halls and is the home of Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony. Prominent Hollywood and Bollywood films have been filmed around the city. Sydney’s popular night spots include Kings Cross, Oxford Street, Darling Harbor and the Rocks. The Sydney Dance Company and the Sydney Theatre Company are also two prominent cultural groups famous for their acts throughout the world.
Tourism
Sydney receives around 2.7 million international tourists who flock to the well known attractions like the Opera House, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Royal Botanical Gardens, Luna Park, Sydney Tower and various museums, such as the Australian museum, the Powerhouse museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art.