Cultural Landscape of Sydney, Autralia

Entertainmentdesigner.com

BondiBeach.com

Travelhouseuk.co.uk

Australia is a very large continent with the majority of it being uninhabited by people. Most of the people tend to locate in cities near the coast, such as Sydney. Sydney is located off the south-east coast and is an international center for commerce, arts, fashion, culture, entertainment, music, education, and tourism. Sydney was first established in 1788 by the British bringing over prisoners, making it a penal colony. Since then it has grown into a major city with a blend of many different cultures. They have many famous structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Outside of the metropolitan area, you can find parks,like Hyde Park and Royal Botanical Gardens, rivers, bays, and beaches, like Bondi Beach. You can also find historical buildings, such as Sydney Town Hall, Queen Victoria Building, Parliament House, and the Australian Museum.

Urban/Economic Geography of Sydney, Australia

www.bergiota.org

Sydney is a very urban city and is the financial and economic hub of Australia. The largest economic sectors in Sydney include property and business services, retail, and health and community services. Since the 80’s, jobs have moved from manufacturing to the service and information sectors. Sydney is ranked the 16^th most expensive city in the world and has an unemployment rate of only 4.9%. The average income for a Sydney resident is $1085 a week or $56,570 a year. The banking industry is very dominant in Sydney, with the Australian Securities Exchange and the Reserve Bank of Australia are located here. Sydney also holds the headquarters of over 90 banks and more than half of Australia’s top companies, also regional headquarters for over 500 multinational corporations.

Political/Cultural Geography of Sydney, Australia

University of Sydney, Thanks to blogspot.com

Sydney Opera House, Thanks to Businessweek.com

The main language in Sydney, Australia is English, but many residents speak a second language with Arabic being the most common. The main religion in Sydney is Christianity, taking up 64% of the residents. Religion is not a very strong force in Sydney because in a census done in 2006, 24% said they were not religious or put a question mark next to the question. There is no overall governing body for Sydney, instead the metropolitan area is divided into local government areas. These areas have elected councils that are responsible for functions delegated to them by the New South Wales State Government.

Physical Geography

Sydney is located on Australia’s south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. It is the largest and has the highest population in Australia. Sydney is located in a coastal basin and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the East, the Blue Mountains to the West, the Hawkesbury River to the North and Royal National Park to the South. The urban area has around 70 harbor and ocean beaches, including the well known Bondi Beach. Geographically, Sydney lies over two different regions. There is the Cumberland Plain which is a relatively flat region that is located south and west of the harbor and Hornsby Plateau. The North Shore was slower to develop because of its hilly topography and lack of access across the harbor. Sydney has a temperate climate with mild winters and warm summers. The weather is moderate closer to the sea and much hotter near the inland western suburbs. The warmest month is January and has an average air temperature of 65-78 degrees. In the winter, temperatures rarely drop below 41 degrees in coastal areas. The coldest month is July with an average air temperature of 46-61 degrees. Rainfall is pretty evenly spread throughout the year, but is slightly higher the first half of the year because of the easterly winds. Also, Sydney is not affected by monsoons, earthquakes, and hasn’t seen snow since 1836 (Wikipedia.org).

(Courtesy of Tripadvisor.com)