Canberra is found in the federal district named the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), noted for its wide open spaces.
Consequently, Canberra’s most-recognized nickname is “The Bush Capital”–a moniker that appears on automobile licence plates in the vast ACT.
Research website numbeo ranks Canberra number one on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Canberra scores well on index factors including safety, health care, traffic commute time and low pollution.
Suburbs and streets in Canberra are traditionally named after past Australian prime ministers. In addition, Canberra hosts some of Australia’s most popular events such as the Canberra Balloon Festival, National Folk Festival and the flower festival known as Floriade.
Australia ranked as the world’s 22nd top exporter in 2019, shipping an estimated US$272.6 billion worth of goods around the globe. The most valuable exports are iron ores and concentrates (24.2% of Australia’s total), coal (16.3%), liquid natural gas (12.9%), gold (6%), crude oil (2.4%), aluminum oxide (2.1%), frozen boneless beef (1.6%), copper ores and concentrates (1.6%), refined copper cathodes (1%), fresh or chilled boneless beef (1%) and wheat (0.9%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Canberra, Australia: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: New Parliament House, Royal Australian Mint and Telstra Tower
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Canberra, Australia.
- Caroline Buchanan, world champion cyclist (born Oct. 24, 1990)
- Damian McDonald, novelist & rock musician (born Sep. 11, 1969)
- Mia Wasikowska, actress (born Oct. 14, 1989)
- Laura Peel, champion freestyle skiier (born Sep. 29, 1989)
- Michael Matthews, track & road cyclist (born Sep. 26, 1990)
- Connie Garner, former Miss World Fitness (born May 22, 1979)
- Andrew Younghusband, actor & journalist (born Dec. 14, 1970)
- Rebecca Henderson, mountain biker (born Sep. 27, 1991)
- Martin Craft, songwriter, composer & producer (born Jan. 18, 1976)
- Amy Duggan, footballer/soccer player & media personality (born Jun. 11, 1979)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Canberra resident: Canberran
Population: 457,330 (Canberra) at July 11, 2020
Density: 1,455 people per square mile (562 per square kilometer)
Population: 25,509,200 (Australia) at July 11, 2020
Density: 9 people per square mile (3 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Australia: 37.9 years old
Financial
GDP: US$1.365 trillion in 2019 (Australia)
GDP per person: $53,379
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Canberra were unavailable.
Official currency used in Canberra: Australian dollar
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Australia-Oceania: Australia.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, ACT Government Information Portal.
Wikimedia Commons, Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Canberra.
Wikipedia, Australian Capital Territory.
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
Wikipedia, Australia.
Wikipedia, List of countries and territories by population density.
Wikipedia, Mercer Quality of Living Survey.
WorldOMeter, Australia Population.
Aussies celebrate Australia Day as a public holiday each January 26 to commemorate the first arrival of Australian settlers back on the same day in January in 1788.
Less than half a million people lived in Australia’s national capital at July 2020. Canberra’s land area measures 314.4 square miles (814.2 square kilometers).
At the country level, Australia’s land mass extends over 2,966,151 square miles (7,682,300 square kilometers). The nation’s population count was 25.5 million inhabitants as of July 2020.
Population density is more concentrated within Australia’s capital city thanks to its average 1,455 Canberrans per square mile (562 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Australia’s overall land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 9 inhabitants per square mile (3 per square kilometer).
