Sydney Our Dream

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million people (2006 estimate). Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales.

Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast. It is built around Port Jackson, which includes Sydney Harbour, leading to the city's nickname, "the Harbour City". It is Australia's largest financial centre and a major international tourist destination, notable for its beaches and twin landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, which contribute to its recognition as a global city.

The city has played host to numerous sporting events, including the 1938 British Empire Games, 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The city has also established itself over the years as an important international cultural player with many world class entertainment venues, festivals galleries and theatres. Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world[1] which reflects its role as a major destination for immigrants to Australia. In 2006, Sydney became Australia’s most expensive city.

Sydney is the site of the first European colony in Australia, established in 1788 at Sydney Cove by Arthur Phillip, leader of the First Fleet from Britain

Geography
Sydney is in a coastal basin bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Sydney lies on a submergent coastline, where the ocean level has risen to flood deep river valleys (rias) carved in the sandstone. One of these drowned valleys, Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, is the largest natural harbour in the world.[citation needed] There are more than 70 harbour and ocean beaches, including the famous Bondi Beach, in the urban area. Sydney's urban area covers 1687 square kilometres (651 mi²) as at 2001.

The Sydney Statistical Division, used for census data, is the unofficial metropolitan area[10] and covers 12,145 square kilometres (4,689 mi²).[11] This area includes the Central Coast and Blue Mountains as well as broad swathes of national park and other unurbanised land.

Geographically, Sydney sprawls over two major regions: the Cumberland Plain, a relatively flat region lying to the south and west of the harbour, and the Hornsby Plateau, a sandstone plateau lying mainly to the north of the harbour, dissected by steep valleys. The oldest parts of the city are located in the flat areas south of the harbour; the North Shore was slower to develop because of its hilly topography, and was mostly a quiet backwater until the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932, linking it to the rest of the city.