Australia has a highly urbanized population, with over 85% living in cities, despite its large land area and low overall population of 20 million people. Some of Australia's largest and most important cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra, the capital city. Sydney is the largest city with over 4.5 million people in its metropolitan area. It was established as the first British colony in 1788 at Sydney Cove and is known for landmarks like the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Melbourne has a metropolitan population of around 4 million people and is the second most populous city. Canberra was established in 1908 as a planned capital city located between Sydney and Melbourne to resolve a rivalry between the two

1. Cities of AustraliaAustralia is one of the most urbanised countries on earth,
with up to 85 percent of the population living in cities.

2. Yet Australia is also one of the most sparsely populated countries in
the world. Australia's total population amounts to around 20 million
people, who inhabit a country with a land area bigger than Europe or
comparable to the USA.

3. Canberra
 Canberra is the capital city of Australia.
With a population of over 345,000, it is
Australia's largest inland city and the
eighth largest Australian city overall.
The city is located at the northern end
of the Australian Capital Territory,
280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney,
and 660 km (410 mi) north-east
of Melbourne.
 The site of Canberra was selected for
the location of the nation's capital in
1908 as a compromise between rivals
Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's
two largest cities. It is unusual among
Australian cities, being an
entirely planned city. Following an
international contest for the city's
design, a design by
the Chicago architects Walter Burley
Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was
selected and construction commenced
in 1913.

4. Australian Parliament

5. Sydney
 Sydney is the largest city
in Australia and Oceania, and the state
capital of New South Wales. Sydney
has a metropolitan area population of
approximately 4.5 million and an area of
approximately 12,000 square
kilometres (4,633 sq mi). Its inhabitants
are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is
often called "the Harbour City". It is one
of the most multicultural cities in the
world, reflecting its role as a major
destination for immigrants to Australia.
 The site of the first British colony in
Australia, Sydney was established[7] in
1788 at Sydney Cove by Arthur Phillip,
commodore of the First Fleet. The city
is built on hills surrounding Sydney
Harbour – an inlet of the Tasman
Sea on Australia's south-east coast. It
is home to the iconic Sydney Opera
House, the Harbour Bridge and its
beaches. The metropolitan area is
surrounded by national parks, and
contains many bays, rivers and inlets.

6. Melbourne
 Melbourne is the capital and
most populous city in the state
ofVictoria, and also the second
most populous city
in Australia.The Melbourne City
Centre (also known as the
"Central Business District" or
"CBD")is the hub of the greater
geographical area (or
"metropolitan area") and
the Census statistical division—
of which "Melbourne" is the
common name. As of late 2009,
the greater geographical area
had an approximate population
of 4 million.A resident of
Melbourne is known as a
"Melburnian".

7. Adelaide
 Adelaide (pronounced /ˈædəleɪ
d/) is the capital and most
populous city of
the Australian state of South
Australia, and is the fifth-largest
city in Australia, with a
population of more than
1.28 million. It is a coastal city
situated on the eastern shores
of Gulf St. Vincent, on
the Adelaide Plains, north of
the Fleurieu Peninsula,
between the Gulf St.
Vincent and the low-
lying Mount Lofty Ranges. The
suburbs reach roughly 20 km
(12 mi) from the coast to the
foothills but sprawl 90 km
(56 mi) from Gawler at its
northern extent toSellicks
Beach in the south.

8. Perth
 Perth is the capital and largest
city of
the Australian state of Western
Australia. With a population of
1,659,000 (2009), Perth ranks
fourth amongst the nation's
cities, with a growth rate
consistently above the national
average.[1]
 Perth was founded on 12 June
1829 by Captain James
Stirling as the political centre of
the free-settler Swan River
Colony. It has continued to
serve as the seat of
government for Western
Australia to the present day. Its
port, Fremantle, is a city in its
own right and slightly older than
Perth.