Canberra (kănˈbərə) [key], city (1991 pop. 276,162), capital of
Australia, in the Australian Capital Territory, SE Australia.
The Canberra urban agglomeration includes a small area in New
South Wales. The federal government is the largest employer in
Canberra; there are also printing and service industries. The
site chosen (1908) for the capital city was first settled in
1824. In 1913, Canberra officially became the second capital of
the commonwealth (succeeding Melbourne); however, although the
Parliament first met there in 1927, the transfer of federal
functions was not completed until after World War II and the
striking Parliament House, on Capitol Hill, was not opened until
1988. The city was planned by the American architect Walter
Burley Griffin. In 2003 parts of Canberra were ravaged by
drought-intensified wildfires; the facilities of Mount Stromlo
Observatory were among the buildings destroyed. Canberra is the
seat of the Duntroon Royal Military College, Australian National
Univ., the National Gallery