<Tr> <Td> 19.7 ° C </Td> <Td> 6.5 ° C </Td> <Td> 616.4 mm </Td> </Tr> <P> Canberra (/ ˈkænbrə / (listen) or / ˈkænbərə /) is the capital city of Australia . With a population of 403,468, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth - largest city overall . The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south - west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north - east of Melbourne . A resident of Canberra is known as a "Canberran". Although Canberra is the capital and seat of government, many federal government ministries have secondary seats in state capital cities, as do the Governor - General and the Prime Minister . </P> <P> 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 outside of any state, similar to Washington, D.C. in the United States, or Brasília in Brazil . Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913 . The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory . </P> <P> The city's design was influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation . The growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the ineffectiveness of a procession of bodies that were created in turn to oversee the development of the city . The national capital emerged as a thriving city after World War II, as Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies championed its development and the National Capital Development Commission was formed with executive powers . Although the Australian Capital Territory is now self - governing, the Commonwealth Government retains some influence through the National Capital Authority . </P>

Why was canberra chosen to be the nation's capital