Australia

Canberra is Australia’s capital, not Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane. In 1908, it was chosen as a compromise between rival cities Sydney and Melbourne, then purpose-built inland. The city sits within the Australian Capital Territory and hosts Australia’s Parliament House, High Court, and national institutions. Designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin as a “garden city,” Canberra features broad avenues and Lake Burley Griffin at its center. Memory tip: Like Washington, D.C. (USA) and Ottawa (Canada), Canberra isn’t the biggest city—it’s a planned capital. Think “CANberra CAN be the capital between Sydney and Melbourne.”