Opera House, Downtown, Overseas Terminal, the Infamous Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Rock
Sydney /ˈsɪdni/ is the
state capital of
New South Wales and the
most populous city in
Australia. It is on Australia's south-east coast, on the
Tasman Sea. In June 2010 the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people. Inhabitants of Sydney are called
Sydneysiders, comprising a cosmopolitan and international population.
The site of the first
British colony in Australia, Sydney was established in 1788 at
Sydney Cove by Captain
Arthur Phillip, of the
First Fleet, as a
penal colony. The city is built on hills surrounding
Port Jackson, which is commonly known as Sydney Harbour, where the iconic
Sydney Opera House and the
Harbour Bridge are prominent structures. The hinterland of the metropolitan area is surrounded by
national parks, and the coastal regions feature many bays, rivers, inlets and
beaches, including the famous
Bondi and
Manly beaches. Within the city are many park lands, including
Hyde Park and the
Royal Botanic Gardens.
Sydney is a consistently high-ranking
world city for quality of life. It has hosted multiple major international sporting events, including the
1938 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games), the
2000 Summer Olympics and the final of the
2003 Rugby World Cup. The main airport serving Sydney is
Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport and its main port is
Port Botany.