The main 8 AU cities are: Canberra (ACT and Australia Capital), Adelaide (SA Capital), Hobart (Tas Capital), Darwin (NT Capital), Brisbane (QLD Capital), Melbourne (Vic Capital),Perth (WA Capital),Sydney (NSW Capital).
Today Sydney is the largest city of the mainland area 12144.6 km2. Its population of about 4.5 million people, while the population of the whole of Australia - 19 million. The city is the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is famous for its Opera house, harbour bridge and its beaches. Large residential areas of Sydney surrounded by national parks. The coastline is quite indented. It abounds with many bays, coves, Islands and beaches. The city itself is located on the shore of the Tasman sea. Sydney is one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world that is caused by the fact that the city is the primary residence of immigrants arriving for permanent residence in Australia.
The population of the Melbourne Metropolitan area is about 3.8 million people. The city is considered one of the top commercial, industrial and cultural centres of Australia. Melbourne is also often referred to as the "sporting and cultural capital". Melbourne was founded by free settlers in 1835 as an agricultural settlement. Thanks to the gold rush in Victoria, the city quickly turned into a metropolis and became to 1865, the largest and most important city in Australia.
The population of Brisbane is 1.8 million, it is the third largest city in the country. The speed of population growth, the city ranks 1st in Australia and 2nd place in the world. According to official data, in the period from 1999 to 2004 the population increased by 11.5 %. Brisbane is the capital of Queensland. In recent years the city has been actively developing information technologies, financial sector and educational institutions. The industrial sector includes oil refining, paper manufacturing and metallurgy. Tourism remains a very important part of the economy of Brisbane. A great number of parks and recreational areas attract tourists from around the world. The city also has many museums and attractions.