Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 km (50 mi) from the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.[5] Greater Sydney consists of 658 suburbs, spread across 33 local government areas. Residents of the city are colloquially known as "Sydneysiders".[6] The estimated population in June 2023 was 5,450,496,[1] which is about 66% of the state's population.[7] The city's nicknames include the "Emerald City" and the "Harbour City".[8]
Aboriginal Australians have inhabited the Greater Sydney region for at least 30,000 years; Aboriginal engravings and cultural sites are common. The traditional custodians of the land on which modern Sydney stands are the clans of the Darug, Dharawal and Eora peoples.[9] During his first Pacific voyage in 1770, James Cook charted the eastern coast of Australia, making landfall at Botany Bay. In 1788, the First Fleet of convicts, led by Arthur Phillip, founded Sydney as a British penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia.[10] After World War II, Sydney experienced mass migration and by 2021 over 40 per cent of the population was born overseas. Foreign countries of birth with the greatest representation are mainland China, India, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and the Philippines.[11]
Despite being one of the most expensive cities in the world,[12][13] Sydney frequently ranks in the top ten most liveable cities.[14][15][16] It is classified as an Alpha city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, indicating its influence in the region and throughout the world.[17][18] Ranked eleventh in the world for economic opportunity,[19] Sydney has an advanced market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing and tourism.[20][21] Established in 1850, the University of Sydney was Australia's first university and is regarded as one of the world's leading universities.[22]
^Heiss, Anita; Gibson, Melodie-Jane (2013). "Aboriginal people and place". Sydney Barani. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^Global Power City Index 2010(PDF) (Report). Tokyo, Japan: Institute for Urban Strategies at The Mori Memorial Foundation. October 2010. Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
^Dennis, Anthony (2013). ""Too expensive" Sydney slips from top 10 tourism list". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2016. In this year's World's Best Awards, announced in New York this week, Sydney came in as the world's number 12 ranked best city.
^"Our global city". City of Sydney. 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
^Benson, D. H. and Howell J. (1990) Taken for Granted: the Bushland of Sydney and Its Suburbs, Sydney
^"Overview". Sydney Airport. 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.