Canberra And Suva

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of 358,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. A resident of Canberra is known as a "Canberran"(Dell N3010 battery). The ACT, like Washington, D. C. in the United States, is independent of any state to prevent any one state from gaining an advantage by hosting the seat of Federal power.

The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities(Dell Inspiron N4010 battery), being an entirely planned city outside of any state, similar to the American Federal District of Columbia. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913.[5] The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centred around axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory(Dell Inspiron 1420 battery).

The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title of the "bush capital". The growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression(Dell Inspiron 1464 battery), which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the ineffectiveness of a sequence of bodies that were to oversee the development of the city. The national capital emerged as a thriving city after World War II, as Prime Minister Robert Menzies championed its development and the National Capital Development Commission was formed with executive powers. Although the Australian Capital Territory is now self-governing, the federal government retains some influence through the National Capital Authority(Dell Inspiron 1564 battery).

As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Australian Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum and the National Library(Dell Inspiron 1764 battery). The Australian Army's officer corps are trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital. The ACT was originally designed to be similar to Washington, D.C. as a neutral site for the Federal seat of government, consequently not giving any particular state an advantage by hosting the government. Unlike Washington(Dell Inspiron 1520 battery), D. C. however, the ACT has voting representation in the Federal Parliament similar to the other Territories, and has their own independent Territorial Parliament and government similar to the states.

As the city has a high proportion of public servants, the federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra. As the seat of government(Dell Inspiron 1521 battery), the unemployment rate is lower and the average income higher than the national average, while property prices are relatively high, in part due to comparatively restricted development regulations. Tertiary education levels are higher, while the population is younger.

Etymology

The word "Canberra" is popularly claimed to derive from the word Kambera or Canberry and mean "meeting place" in the old Ngunnawal language of the local Ngabri people. (Dell inspiron 1525 battery)

Alternatively, the name was reported by Queanbeyan newspaper owner John Gale in the 1860s to be an anglicisation of the indigenous name 'nganbra' or 'nganbira', meaning "hollow between a woman's breasts", and referring to the Sullivans Creek floodplain between Mount Ainslie and Black Mountain. (Dell inspiron 1526 battery)

Main article: History of Canberra

See also: History of the Australian Capital Territory

Before European settlement, the area in which Canberra would eventually be constructed was seasonally inhabited by Indigenous Australians. Anthropologist Norman Tindale suggested the principal group occupying the region were the Ngunnawal people, while the Ngarigo lived immediately to the south of the ACT, The Wandandian to the east, the Walgulu also to the south, Gandangara people to the north, and Wiradjuri to the north west(Dell Inspiron 1720 battery). Archaeological evidence of settlement in the region includes inhabited rock shelters, rock paintings and engravings, burial places, camps and quarry sites, and stone tools and arrangements.[8] The evidence suggests human habitation in the area for at least 21,000 years. (Dell Inspiron 2000 battery)

Blundells Cottage, built around 1860,[10] is one of the few remaining buildings built by the first European settlers of Canberra.

European exploration and settlement started in the Canberra area as early as the 1820s. There were four expeditions between 1820 and 1824. White settlement of the area probably dates from 1824, when a homestead or station was built on what is now the Acton peninsula by stockmen employed by Joshua John Moore(Dell INSPIRON 2600 battery). He formally purchased the site in 1826, and named the property "Canberry".

The European population in the Canberra area continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th century. Among them was the Campbell family of "Duntroon";[16] their imposing stone house is now the officers' mess of the Royal Military College, Duntroon.[17] The Campbells sponsored settlement by other farmer families to work their land, such as the Southwells of "Weetangera".(Dell INSPIRON 3800 battery) Other notable early settlers included the inter-related Murray and Gibbes families, who owned the Yarralumla estate—now the site of the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia—from the 1830s through to 1881.

The oldest surviving public building in the inner-city is the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, in the suburb of Reid,[20] which was consecrated in 1845. St John's churchyard contains the earliest graves in the district(Dell INSPIRON 4000 battery). As the European presence increased, the indigenous population dwindled, mainly from disease such as smallpox and measles.

The decisions to start and locate a capital

The district's change from a New South Wales (NSW) rural area to the national capital started during debates over Federation in the late 19th century. Following a long dispute over whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the national capital, a compromise was reached: the new capital would be built in New South Wales(Dell Inspiron 5000 battery), so long as it was at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney,[25] with Melbourne to be the temporary seat of government (but not referred to as the "capital") while the new capital was built.[28] Newspaper proprietor John Gale circulated a pamphlet titled 'Dalgety or Canberra: Which?' advocating Canberra to every member of the Commonwealth's seven States Parliaments. By many accounts, it was decisive in the selection of Canberra as the site in 1908(Dell INSPIRON 500M battery), as was a result of survey work done by the government surveyor Charles Scrivener.[29] The NSW government ceded the Federal Capital Territory (as it was then known) to the federal government. In an international design competition conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, on 24 May 1911, the design by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was chosen for the city(Dell INSPIRON 5100 battery), and in 1913 Griffin was appointed Federal Capital Director of Design and Construction and construction began.

The opening of Parliament House in May 1927.

History of Canberra as a capital city

On 12 March 1913,[34] the city was officially given its name by Lady Denman, the wife of Governor-General Lord Denman, at a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, which has since become Capital Hill and the site of the present Parliament House(Dell INSPIRON 510M battery). Canberra Day is a public holiday observed in the ACT on the second Monday in March to celebrate the founding of Canberra.[24] After the ceremony, bureaucratic disputes hindered Griffin's work; a Royal Commission in 1916 ruled his authority had been usurped by certain officials.[38] Griffin's relationship with the Australian authorities was strained and a lack of funding meant that by the time he was fired in 1920, little work had been done. (Dell INSPIRON 6000 battery) By this time, Griffin had revised his plan, overseen the earthworks of major avenues,[41] and established the Glenloch Cork Plantation.[42]

The federal legislature moved to Canberra on 9 May 1927, with the opening of the Provisional Parliament House.[43] The Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce,[44] had officially taken up residence in The Lodge a few days earlier.[45] Planned development of the city slowed significantly during the depression of the 1930s and during World War II. (Dell INSPIRON 600M battery) Some projects planned for that time, including Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never completed.[47]

Two of Canberra's best-known landmarks, Parliament House and Old Parliament House (foreground). Commonwealth Place runs alongside the lake and includes the International Flag Display. Questacon is on the right(Dell Inspiron 6400 battery).

From 1920 to 1957, three bodies, successively the Federal Capital Advisory Committee,[48] the Federal Capital Commission,[49] and the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra in the absence of Griffin; however, they were only advisory,[50] and development decisions were made without consulting them, increasing inefficiency(Dell INSPIRON 7000 battery).

Immediately after the end of the war, Canberra was criticised for resembling a village, and its disorganised collection of buildings was deemed ugly.[53] Canberra was often derisively described as "several suburbs in search of a city".[54] Prime Minister Robert Menzies[55] regarded the state of the national capital as an embarrassment. Over time his attitude changed from one of contempt to that of championing its development(Dell INSPIRON 700M battery). He fired two ministers charged with the development of the city for poor performance. He ruled for over a decade and in that time the development of the capital sped up rapidly. The population grew by more than 50% in every five-year period from 1955 to 1975. Several Government departments, together with public servants, were moved to Canberra from Melbourne following the war. (Dell Inspiron 710m battery)Government housing projects were undertaken to accommodate the city's growing population.[59]

Most of rapid expansion was achieved after the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) was formed in 1957 with executive powers, replacing its ineffective advisory predecessors.[60] The NCDC ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin—the centrepiece of Griffin's design—and construction was completed in 1964 after four years of work. (Dell INSPIRON 8200 battery)The completion of the lake finally the laid the platform for the development of Griffin's Parliamentary Triangle.[62] Since the initial construction of the lake, various buildings of national importance have been constructed on its shores.[63]

The newly built Australian National University was expanded,[63] and sculptures and monuments were built.[64] A new National Library was constructed within the Parliamentary Triangle, followed by the High Court and the National Gallery(Dell INSPIRON 8600 battery). Suburbs in Canberra Central (often referred to as North Canberra and South Canberra) were further developed in the 1950s, and urban development in the districts of Woden Valley and Belconnen commenced in the mid and late 1960s respectively.[67] Many of the new suburbs were named after Australian politicians, such as Barton, Deakin, Reid, Braddon, Curtin, Chifley and Parkes. (Dell INSPIRON 9100 battery)

Canberra Civic viewed from Mount Ainslie with Lake Burley Griffin and Mount Stromlo in the background.

On 27 January 1972 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was first established on the grounds of Parliament House; it was created to draw attention to indigenous rights and land issues and has been continuously occupied since 1992. On 9 May 1988,[69] a larger and permanent Parliament House was opened on Capital Hill as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations, (Dell INSPIRON 9200 battery) and the Federal Parliament moved there from the Provisional Parliament House, now known as Old Parliament House.[69]

In December 1988, the ACT was granted full self-government through an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament. Following the first election on 4 March 1989, a 17-member Legislative Assembly sat at temporary offices at 1 Constitution Avenue, Civic, on 11 May 1989.[72] Permanent premises were opened on London Circuit in 1994. (Dell INSPIRON 9300 battery) The Australian Labor Party formed the ACT's first government, led by the Chief Minister Rosemary Follett, who made history as Australia's first female head of government.[74] Parts of Canberra were engulfed by bushfires on 18 January 2003 that killed four people, injured 435, and destroyed 487 homes and the major research telescopes of Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory. (Dell Inspiron 9400 battery)

Geography

Panorama of Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin set against the backdrop of distant New South Wales

Canberra covers an area of 814.2 square kilometres[2] (314.3 sq. mi) and is located near the Brindabella Ranges, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) inland from Australia's east coast. It has an elevation of approximately 580 metres (1,900 ft) AHD;[76] the highest point is Mount Majura at 888 metres (2,913 ft). Other large hills include Mount Taylor, Mount Ainslie, Mount Mugga Mugga and Black Mountain. (Dell Inspiron E1505 battery)

The native forest in the Canberra region was almost wholly eucalypt species and provided a resource for fuel and domestic purposes. By the early 1960s, logging had depleted the eucalypt, and concern about water quality led to the forests being closed. Interest in forestry began in 1915 with trials of a number of species including Pinus radiata on the slopes of Mount Stromlo(Dell Inspiron E1705 battery). Since then, plantations have been expanded, with the benefit of reducing erosion in the Cotter catchment, and the forests are also popular recreation areas.[80]

The location of Canberra within the ACT. Canberra's main districts are shown in yellow: Canberra Central (marked as North Canberra and South Canberra), Woden Valley, Belconnen, Weston Creek, Tuggeranong, and Gungahlin(Dell Inspiron Mini 9 battery).

The urban environs of the city of Canberra straddle the Ginninderra plain, Molonglo plain, the Limestone plain, and the Tuggeranong plain (Isabella's Plain).[81] The Molonglo River which flows across the Molonglo plain has been dammed to form the national capital's iconic feature Lake Burley Griffin.[82] The Molonglo then flows into the Murrumbidgee north-west of Canberra(Dell Latitude D400 battery), which in turn flows north-west toward the New South Wales town of Yass. The Queanbeyan River joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the ACT.

A number of creeks, including Jerrabomberra and Yarralumla Creeks, flow into the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee.[81] Two of these creeks, the Ginninderra and Tuggeranong, have similarly been dammed to form Lakes Ginninderra and Tuggeranong. Until recently the Molonglo River had a history of sometimes calamitous floods(Dell STUDIO 1450 battery); the area was a flood plain prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin.

Climate

Canberra has a relatively dry oceanic climate with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters.[76] Canberra experiences warm, quite dry summers, and chilly winters with heavy fog and frequent frosts. Snow is rare in the CBD but the surrounding areas get annual snowfall through winter and often the snow capped mountains can be seen from the CBD(Dell Vostro 1400 battery). The highest recorded maximum temperature was 42.2 °C (108.0 °F) on 1 February 1968.

The lowest recorded minimum temperature was −10 °C (14.0 °F) on 11 July 1971.[76] Light snow often falls only once or twice per year but is usually not widespread and quickly dissipates.[76] Canberra is protected from the west by the Brindabellas which create a slight rain shadow in Canberra's valleys(Dell Vostro 1500 battery).

Annual rainfall is the third lowest of the capital cities (after Adelaide and Hobart)[88] but is spread fairly evenly over the seasons, with late spring bringing the highest rainfall.[89] Thunderstorms occur mostly between October and April,[76] owing to the effect of summer and the mountains. The area is not very windy and the breeze is at its strongest from August to November. Canberra is less humid than the nearby coastal areas(Dell XPS M1210 battery).

Urban structure

Main article: Suburbs of Canberra

Inner Canberra demonstrates some aspects of the Griffin plan, in particular the Parliamentary Triangle.

View from Tuggeranong Hill, looking down into Tuggeranong Valley

Canberra is a planned city and the inner-city area was originally designed by Walter Burley Griffin, a major 20th century American architect.[91] Within the central area of the city near Lake Burley Griffin, major roads follow a wheel-and-spoke pattern rather than a grid. (Dell XPS M1330 battery)Griffin's proposal had an abundance of geometric patterns, including concentric hexagonal and octagonal streets emanating from several radii. However, the outer areas of the city, built later, are not laid out geometrically.

Lake Burley Griffin was deliberately designed so that the orientation of the components was related to various topographical landmarks in Canberra. The lakes stretch from east to west and divided the city in two(Dell XPS 1340 battery); a land axis perpendicular to the central basin stretches from Capital Hill—the eventual location of the new Parliament House on a mound on the southern side—north northeast across the central basin to the northern banks along Anzac Parade to the Australian War Memorial. This was designed so that looking from Capital Hill, the War Memorial stood directly at the foot of Mount Ainslie. At the southwestern end of the land axis was Bimberi Peak, (Dell XPS M1530 battery)the highest mountain in the ACT, approximately 52 km south west of Canberra.[79]

The straight edge of the circular segment that formed the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin was perpendicular to the land axis and designated the water axis, and it extended northwest towards Black Mountain. A line parallel to the water axis, on the northern side of the city, was designated the municipal axis. The municipal axis became the location of Constitution Avenue(Dell XPS M170 battery), which links City Hill in Civic Centre and both Market Centre and the Defence precinct on Russell Hill. Commonwealth Avenue and Kings Avenue were to run from the southern side from Capital Hill to City Hill and Market Centre on the north respectively, and they formed the western and eastern edges of the central basin. The area enclosed by the three avenues was known as the Parliamentary Triangle, and formed the centrepiece of Griffin's work(Dell XPS M1710 battery).

The Griffins assigned spiritual values to Mount Ainslie, Black Mountain, and Red Hill and originally planned to cover each of these in flowers. That way each hill would be covered with a single, primary color which represented its spiritual value.[97] This part of their plan never came to fruition, as World War I slowed construction and planning disputes led to Walter's dismissal by Prime Minister Billy Hughes after the war ended(Dell XPS M1730 battery).

The urban areas of Canberra are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs as well as other industrial areas and villages. There are seven residential districts, each of which is divided into smaller suburbs, and most of which have a town centre which is the focus of commercial and social activities. The districts were settled in the following chronological order(Dell XPS M2010 battery):

Canberra Central, mostly settled in the 1920s and 1930s, with expansion up to the 1960s, 25 suburbs

The Canberra Central district is substantially based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs. In 1967 the then National Capital Development Commission adopted the "Y Plan" which laid out future urban development in Canberra around a series of central shopping and commercial area known as the 'town centres' linked by freeways(Dell Latitude E5400 battery), the layout of which roughly resembled the shape of the letter Y,[104] with Tuggeranong at the base of the Y and Belconnen and Gungahlin located at the ends of the arms of the Y.[104]

Development in Canberra has been closely regulated by government, both through planning processes and the use of crown lease terms that have tightly limited the use of parcels of land. Land in the ACT is held on 99 year crown leases from the national government(Dell Latitude E5500 battery), although most leases are now administered by the Territory government.[107] There have been persistent calls for constraints on development to be liberalised.

Many of Canberra's suburbs are named after former Prime Ministers, famous Australians, early settlers, or use Aboriginal words for their title. Street names typically follow a particular theme; for example, the streets of Duffy are named after Australian dams and reservoirs(Dell Latitude E6400 battery), the streets of Dunlop are named after Australian inventions, inventors and artists and the streets of Page are named after biologists and naturalists. Most diplomatic missions are located in the suburbs of Yarralumla, Deakin and O'Malley.[109] There are three light industrial areas: the suburbs of Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume(Dell Latitude E6500 battery).

and the statue Ethos (Tom Bass, 1961)

Outside Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory has no settlements larger than a village. The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly performs the roles of both a city council and territory government. The assembly consists of 17 members, elected from three districts using proportional representation.[73] The three districts are Molonglo, Ginninderra and Brindabella, which elect seven, five and five members, respectively. (Dell Inspiron Mini 12 battery)

The Chief Minister is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and selects colleagues to serve as ministers alongside him or her in the Executive, known informally as the cabinet.[111] Whereas the ACT has federally been dominated by Labor, the Liberals have been able to gain some footing in the ACT Legislative Assembly, and were in government for just over eight of the Assembly's 21-year history(Dell XPS M140 battery), mostly during a period of six and half years from 1995 and 2001, when Labor won power.[73] At the 2004 election the Australian Labor Party, headed by then Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, won nine of the 17 seats and formed the ACT's first majority government,[73] but after the 2008 election was forced into minority government with the Greens(Dell XPS 13 battery).

As almost all of the ACT's population lives in Canberra, political trends for both areas are closely aligned. The ACT was given its first federal parliamentary representation in 1949, when it gained a seat in the House of Representatives, the Division of Australian Capital Territory. The ACT member could only vote on matters directly affecting the territory.[116] In 1974, the ACT was allocated two Senate seats. In 1974, the House of Representatives seat was divided into two(Dell XPS 16 battery).

A third was created in 1996, but was abolished in 1998 because of changes to the regional demographic distribution. Both House of Representatives seats have mostly been held by Labor, usually by comfortable margins. Labor has polled at least seven percentage points more than the Liberals at every federal election since 1990, and their average lead since then has been 15 percentage points. (Dell XPS 1640 battery) The ALP and the Liberal Party of Australia have always held one Senate seat each.

The Australian federal government retains some influence over the ACT government. In the administrative sphere, most frequently this is through the actions of the National Capital Authority which is responsible for planning and development in areas of Canberra which are considered to be of national importance or which are central to Griffin's plan for the city, (Dell XPS 1645 battery)such as the Parliamentary Triangle, Lake Burley Griffin, major approach and processional roads, areas where the Commonwealth retains ownership of the land or undeveloped hills and ridge-lines (which form part of the Canberra Nature Park). The national government also retains a level of control over the Territory Assembly through the provisions of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988(Dell XPS 1647 battery). This federal act defines the legislative power of the ACT assembly.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) provides all of the constabulary services in the territory in a manner similar to state police forces, under a contractual agreement with the ACT Government. The AFP does so through its community policing arm, ACT Policing (Australian Capital Territory Police) (Dell Latitude 131L battery).

People who have been charged with offences are tried either in the ACT Magistrates Court or for more severe offences, the ACT Supreme Court. Prisoners were held in remand at the Belconnen Remand Centre in the ACT but usually jailed in New South Wales. The new prison, Alexander Maconochie Centre, was officially opened on 11 September 2008 by Jon Stanhope, the Chief Minister. The total cost for construction was $130 million. (Dell Latitude C400 battery) Courts such as a Small Claims Tribunal and a Family Court exist for civil law actions and other non-criminal legal matters.

Economy

Many Canberrans are employed by government departments, such as the Australian Treasury.

In May 2012, the unemployment rate in Canberra was 3.4% which was lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.1%.[131] As a result of low unemployment and substantial levels of public sector and commercial employment(Dell Latitude C500 battery), Canberra has the highest average level of disposable income of any Australian capital city. The gross average weekly wage in Canberra is $1,554.50 compared with the national average of $1,345.20 (February 2012).

The median house price in Canberra as of September 2009 was $511,820, lower than only Sydney among capital cities of more than 100,000 people, having surpassed Melbourne and Perth since 2005(Dell Latitude C510 battery). The median weekly rent paid by Canberra residents is higher than rents in all other states and territories.[136] As at the March quarter of 2009 the median rent in Canberra was $420 per week,[137] the third highest in the country.[138] Factors contributing to this higher weekly rental market include; higher average weekly incomes, restricted land supply,[139] and inflationary clauses in the ACT Residential Tenancies Act(Dell Latitude C540 battery).

The city's main industry is government administration and defence, which accounted for 31% of Gross Territory Product in 2008–09 and employed over 40% of Canberra's workforce. A number of Australian Defence Force establishments are located in or near Canberra, most notably the Australian Defence Force headquarters and HMAS Harman, which is a naval communications centre that is being converted into a tri-service, multi-user depot. (Dell Latitude C600 battery)

The former RAAF Fairbairn, adjacent to the Canberra International Airport was sold to the operators of the Airport,[144] but the base continues to be used for RAAF VIP flights. A growing number of independent software vendors have based themselves in Canberra, to capitalise on the concentration of government customers; these include Tower Software and RuleBurst(Dell Latitude C610 battery). A consortium of private and government investors is currently making plans for a billion-dollar data hub, with the aim of making Canberra a leading centre of such activity in the Asia-Pacific region.[149]

Demographics

Shopping at the weekly Old Bus Depot Markets, Kingston

As of 2006, the population of Canberra was 323,056 people.[150] The 2006 census showed that 1.2% of Canberra's population were of indigenous origin and 21.7% were born overseas. (Dell Latitude C640 battery)The largest group of people born overseas came from English-speaking countries, led by the United Kingdom and then New Zealand.

Significant numbers of immigrants have also come from China, India and Vietnam. Recent immigrants have arrived from countries in East and South Asia.[151] Most locals are native speakers of English (81.1%); some have a second language, the most common being Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Greek. These five languages are spoken by a total of 4.8% of the population(Dell Latitude C800 battery).

Canberrans are relatively young, highly mobile, and well educated. The median age is 34 years, and only 9.8% of the population is aged over 65 years.[150] Between 1996 and 2001, 61.9% of the population either moved to or from Canberra, which is the second highest mobility rate of any Australian capital city(Dell Latitude C810 battery).

As of May 2004, 30% of people in the ACT aged 15–64 had a level of educational attainment equal to at least a bachelor's degree, significantly higher that the national average of 19%.[153] Approximately 60% of Canberra residents describe themselves as Christian, the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican; 6% of the population practice a non-Christian religion and 23% are not religious. (Dell Latitude C840 battery)

As of 2002 the most common crimes in Canberra are property related crimes, unlawful entry with intent and motor vehicle theft. They affect 1,961 and 630 of every 100,000 persons respectively. Homicide and related offences—including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and driving causing death—affect 1.5/100,000 persons, which is below the national average of 4.9/100,000. Rates of assault and sexual assault are also below the national average. (Dell Latitude D410 battery)

Education

Main article: Education in the Australian Capital Territory

ANU School of Art (formerly the Canberra High School)

The two main tertiary institutions are the Australian National University (ANU) in Acton and the University of Canberra (UC) in Bruce, with over 10,500 and 8,000 full-time-equivalent students respectively. Established in 1946,[157] the ANU has always had a strong research focus and is ranked among the leading universities in the world and the best in Australia by The Times Higher Education Supplement and the Shanghai Jiao Tong World University Rankings. (Dell Latitude D420 battery) There are two religious university campuses in Canberra: Signadou in the northern suburb of Watson is a campus of the Australian Catholic University;[159] St Mark's Theological College in Barton is part of the secular Charles Sturt University.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Royal Military College, Duntroon are located in the inner-northern suburb of Campbell(Dell Latitude D430 battery). ADFA teaches military undergraduates and postgraduates and is a campus of the University of New South Wales; Duntroon provides Australian Army officer training.[165] Tertiary level vocational education is also available through the multi-campus Canberra Institute of Technology.[166]

In February 2004 there were 140 schools in Canberra; 96 were operated by the government and 44 were private. During 2006, the ACT Government announced closures of up to 39 schools, to take effect from the end of the school year(Dell Latitude D500 battery), and after a series of consultations unveiled its Towards 2020: Renewing Our Schools policy.[167] As a result, some schools closed during the 2006–08 period, while others were merged; the creation of combined primary and secondary government schools will proceed over the next decade. The new policy has provoked significant opposition. Most suburbs are planned to include a primary and a nearby preschool(Dell Latitude D505 battery); these are usually located near open areas where recreational and sporting activities are easily available.[171]

The National Museum of Australia established in 2001 records Australia's social history and is one of Canberra's more architecturally daring buildings.

The Shine Dome

Canberra is home to many national monuments and institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library,[103] the National Archives, (Dell Latitude D510 battery) the Australian Academy of Science,[173] the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Museum.[103] Many Commonwealth government buildings in Canberra are open to the public, including Parliament House, the High Court and the Royal Australian Mint.

Lake Burley Griffin is the site of the Captain James Cook Memorial and the National Carillon.[103] Other sites of interest include the Black Mountain Tower, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the National Zoo and Aquarium(Dell Latitude D520 battery), the National Dinosaur Museum and Questacon – the National Science and Technology Centre.

A copy of every book published in Australia is required by law to be held by the National Library of Australia.[178]

The Canberra Museum and Gallery in the city is a repository of local history and art.[179] Several historic homes are open to the public: Lanyon and Tuggeranong Homesteads in the Tuggeranong Valley, Mugga-Mugga in Symonston, (Dell Latitude D600 battery)and Blundells' Cottage in Parkes all display the lifestyle of the early European settlers. Calthorpes' House in Red Hill is a well preserved example of a 1920s house from Canberra's very early days. Canberra has many venues for live music and theatre: the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse which hosts many major concerts and productions; and Llewellyn Hall (within the ANU School of Music), a world-class concert hall are two of the most notable(Dell Latitude D610 battery). The Street Theatre is a venue with less mainstream offerings. The Albert Hall was the city's first performing arts venue, opened in 1928. It was the original performance venue for theatre groups such as the Canberra Repertory Society.[186]

Stonefest at the University of Canberra is a large two-day music festival. There are numerous bars and nightclubs which also offer live entertainment(Dell Latitude D620 battery), particularly concentrated in the areas of Dickson, Kingston and the city. Most town centres have facilities for a community theatre and a cinema, and they all have a library. Popular cultural events include the National Folk Festival, the Royal Canberra Show, the Summernats car festival, the Canberra Multicultural Festival in February and the Celebrate Canberra festival held over 10 days in March in conjunction with Canberra Day(Dell Latitude D630 battery).

Canberra–Nara park with Kasuga stone lanterns framed by the gate

Canberra maintains sister-city relationships with both Nara, Japan and Beijing, China. Canberra has friendship-city relationships with both Dili, East Timor and Hangzhou, China.[190] City-to-city relationships encourage communities and special interest groups both locally and abroad to engage in a wide range of exchange activities. The Canberra Nara Candle Festival held annually in spring, is a community celebration of the Canberra Nara Sister City relationship. (Dell Latitude D800 battery) The festival is held in Canberra Nara Park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

Media

As Australia's capital, Canberra is the most important centre for much of Australia's political reportage and thus all the major media, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the commercial television networks, and the metropolitan newspapers maintain local bureaus. News organisations are represented in the "press gallery"(Dell Latitude D810 battery), a group of journalists who report on the national parliament. The National Press Club of Australia in Barton has regular television broadcasts of its lunches at which a prominent guest, typically a politician or other public figure, delivers a speech followed by a question-and-answer session.[194]

Canberra has a daily newspaper, The Canberra Times, which was established in 1926,[195] and some free weekly suburban and special interest publications, one of these being CityNews(Dell Latitude D820 battery).

Canberra has five free-to-air television stations (analogue and digital) including two government funded networks (ABC and SBS) and three commercial networks (Prime, WIN and Southern Cross Ten).[196] SBS offer digital high-definition simulcasts of their main channel on SBS HD. In addition to ABC1, SBS One, Prime Television, WIN Television and Southern Cross Ten(Dell Latitude D830 battery), these networks broadcast ten additional digital-only channels: 7Two on Prime, 7mate on Prime, GO!, GEM, ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24, SBS Two, One HD and Eleven.

Prior to 1989, Canberra was serviced by just the ABC, SBS and Capital Television, which later became Southern Cross Ten, with Prime and WIN arriving as part of the Government's regional aggregation programme in that year.[197]

Subscription (pay) television services are available from Foxtel and local telecommunications company TransACT(Dell Latitude 2100 battery).

A number of community radio stations broadcast in Canberra, including 2XXfm, ArtSound FM, 1RPH and CMS Radio.[199] There are a number of commercial AM and FM radio stations including those belonging to the Capital Radio Network (2CA and 2CC), the Austereo/ARN owned 104.7 and Mix 106.3, and Raw FM.[199] Public radio broadcasters ABC and SBS operate a number of stations(Dell Latitude 2110 battery).

Sport

Main article: Sport in the Australian Capital Territory

A rugby league match at Canberra Stadium

In addition to local sporting leagues, Canberra has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and international competitions. The best known teams are the Canberra Raiders and the Brumbies who play rugby league and rugby union respectively; both have been champions of their leagues. Both teams play their home games at Canberra Stadium, (Dell Latitude E4300 battery)which is the city's largest stadium and was used to hold group matches in soccer for the 2000 Summer Olympics and in rugby union for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The city also has a successful basketball team, the Canberra Capitals, which has won seven out of the last eleven national women's basketball titles.[207] Canberra United FC represents the city in the W-League, the national women's association football league, and were champions in the 2011-12 season. (Dell Vostro 1310 battery)

There are also teams that participate in national competitions in netball, field hockey, ice hockey, cricket and baseball. Manuka Oval is another large outdoor sporting facility where cricket and Australian Rules football are played. The Melbourne based AFL team the Kangaroos played some home games at Manuka Oval until July 2006(Dell Vostro 1320 battery). Following the move of the Kangaroos' alternative home ground to Carrara in Queensland, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will play home games at Manuka Oval from 2007 against the Sydney Swans.[210] Canberra is also home to the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament. The historic Prime Minister's XI cricket match is played at Manuka Oval annually. Other significant annual sporting events include the Canberra Marathon(Dell Vostro 1510 battery) and the City of Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon. The Canberra Women's Tennis Classic was held in the lead up to the Australian Open until 2006.

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is located in the Canberra suburb of Bruce.[215] The AIS is a specialised educational and training institution providing coaching for elite junior and senior athletes in a number of sports. The AIS has been operating since 1981 and has achieved significant success in producing elite athletes, both local and international. (Dell Vostro 1520 battery) The majority of Australia's team members and medallists at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney were AIS graduates.[216]

Canberra has numerous sporting ovals, golf courses, skate parks, tennis courts and swimming pools that are open to the public. A Canberra-wide series of bicycle paths are available to cyclists for recreational and sporting purposes(Dell Vostro 2510 battery). Canberra Nature Parks have a large range of walking paths, horse and mountain bike trails. Water sports like sailing, rowing, dragon boating and water skiing are held on Canberra's lakes. The Rally of Canberra is an annual motor sport event and a facility for drag racing is currently being planned for construction.

Canberra has two large public hospitals, the approximately 600-bed Canberra Hospital—formerly the Woden Valley Hospital—in Garran and the 174-bed Calvary Public Hospital in Bruce(Dell Vostro 1014 battery). Both are teaching institutions. The largest private hospital is the Calvary John James Hospital in Deakin. Calvary Private Hospital in Bruce and Healthscope's National Capital Private Hospital in Garran are also major healthcare providers.

The Royal Canberra Hospital was located on Acton Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin; it was closed in 1991 and was demolished in 1997 in a controversial and fatal implosion to facilitate construction of the National Museum of Australia(Dell Inspiron 1410 battery). The city has 10 aged care facilities. Canberra's hospitals receive emergency cases from throughout southern New South Wales,[228] and ACT Ambulance Service is one of four operational agencies of the ACT Emergency Services Authority.[229] NETS provides a dedicated ambulance service for inter-hospital transport of sick newborns within the ACT and into surrounding New South Wales.

Canberra Railway Station(Dell Vostro 1015 battery)

The automobile is by far the dominant form of transport in Canberra.[231] The city is laid out so that arterial roads connecting inhabited clusters run through undeveloped areas of open land or forest, which results in a low population density;[232] this also means that idle land is available for the development of future transport corridors if necessary without the need to build tunnels or acquire developed residential land(Dell Inspiron 1088 battery). In contrast, other capital cities in Australia have substantially less green space.

Canberra's districts are generally connected by parkways—limited access dual carriageway roads with speed limits generally set at a maximum of 100 km/h. An example is the Tuggeranong Parkway which links Canberra's CBD and Tuggeranong, and bypasses Weston Creek.[237] In most districts(SONY PCG-5G2L battery), discrete residential suburbs are bounded by main arterial roads with only a few residential linking in, to deter non-local traffic from cutting through areas of housing.[238]

ACTION, the government-operated bus service, provides public transport throughout the city.[239] Deane's Transit Group provides bus services between Canberra and nearby areas of New South Wales through their Transborder Express (Murrumbateman and Yass)[240] and Deane's Buslines (Queanbeyan) brands(SONY PCG-5G3L battery). In the 2006 census, 7.7% of the journeys to work involved a bus; with 7.4% walking or cycling to work. There are two local taxi companies. Aerial Capital Group enjoyed monopoly status until the arrival of Cabxpress in 2007.

An interstate CountryLink railway service connects Canberra to Sydney.[243] Canberra's railway station is in the inner south suburb of Kingston.[244] Between 1920 and 1922 the train line crossed the Molonglo River and ran as far north as the city centre(SONY PCG-5J1L battery), although the line was closed following major flooding and was never rebuilt, while plans for a line to Yass were abandoned. A 1067 mm gauge construction railway was built in 1923 between the Yarralumla brickworks and the provisional Parliament House; it was later extended to Civic, but the whole line was closed in May 1927. Train services to Melbourne are provided by way of a CountryLink bus service which connects with a rail service between Sydney and Melbourne in Yass, about one hour's drive from Canberra(SONY PCG-5J2L battery).

Plans to establish a very fast train like a TGV service between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, have not been implemented, as the various proposals have been deemed economically unviable. The original plans for Canberra included proposals for railed transport within the city,[41] however none eventuated.[41] A railway connecting Canberra to Jervis Bay was also planned but never constructed(SONY PCG-5K2L battery).

Canberra is about three hours by road from Sydney on the Federal Highway (National Highway 23), which connects with the Hume Highway (National Highway 31) near Goulburn, and seven hours by road from Melbourne on the Barton Highway (National Highway 25), which joins the Hume Highway at Yass. It is a two hour drive on the Monaro Highway (National Highway 23) to the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains and the Kosciuszko National Park. (SONY PCG-5L1L battery)Batemans Bay, a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales coast, is also two hours away via the Kings Highway.

Canberra International Airport provides direct domestic services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with connections to other domestic centres.[253] There are direct daily flights to Albury and Newcastle in New South Wales. No regular commercial international flights operate from the airport(SONY PCG-6S2L battery). Until 2003 the civilian airport shared runways with RAAF Base Fairbairn. In June of that year, the Air Force base was decommissioned and from that time the airport was fully under civilian control.[255] The Air Force still retains a presence at Fairbairn, which is a leased area in the North East precinct of the airport. The only active unit is No 34 Squadron, which is responsible for the operations of the airforce's (SONY PCG-6S3L battery)VIP transport aircraft which are used to transport Australian officials such as the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, the Governor General, the leader of the opposition and high ranking defence force officers when travelling both internationally or within Australia. The Fairbairn area is also used by official aircraft carrying foreign heads of state or government when visiting Canberra(SONY PCG-6V1L battery).

Black Mountain communications tower also a landmark and tourist attraction.

The government-owned ACTEW Corporation manages Canberra's water and sewerage infrastructure. ActewAGL is a joint venture between ACTEW and AGL, and is the retail provider of Canberra's utility services including water, natural gas, electricity, and also some telecommunications services via a subsidiary TransACT(SONY PCG-6W1L battery).

Canberra's water is stored in four reservoirs, the Corin, Bendora and Cotter dams on the Cotter River and the Googong Dam on the Queanbeyan River. Although the Googong Dam is located in New South Wales, it is managed by the ACT government. ACTEW Corporation owns Canberra's two wastewater treatment plants, located at Fyshwick and on the lower reaches of the Molonglo River(SONY PCG-7111L battery).

Electricity for Canberra comes from the national power grid through substations at Holt and Fyshwick (via Queanbeyan).[262] Some limited local renewable power is produced via a hydro generator on the main water supply pipeline for Canberra at Mount Stromlo and methane plants at waste landfill sites at Belconnen and Mugga Lane. Power was first supplied from a plant built in 1913, near the Molonglo River(SONY PCG-71511M battery). The ACT has the highest rate of computer use and internet connection in Australia.

Suva is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Central Division, Rewa Province. In 1877, it was decided to make Suva the capital of Fiji when the geography of former main European settlement at Levuka on the island of Ovalau proved too restrictive. The administration of the colony was moved from Levuka to Suva in 1882(SONY PCG-6W3L battery).

Suva is Fiji's political and administrative capital. It is the largest and the most sophisticated city in the South Pacific (excluding New Zealand) and has become an important regional centre; students from the Pacific region and a growing expatriate community make up a significant portion of the city's population(SONY PCG-7113L battery).

At the 2007 census the city of Suva had a population of 85,691.[1] Including independent suburbs, the population of the Greater Suva urban area was 172,399 at the 2007 census.[citation needed] Suva, along with the bordering cities of Lami, Nasinu, and Nausori have a total urban population of around 330,000, over a third of the nation's population. This urban complex is known also as the Suva-Nausori corridor (not including Lami) (SONY PCG-7133L battery).

Suva Central Business District in the 1950s

In return for a promise to pay off debts owed to the United States by the Bauan chieftain, Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the Australian-based Polynesia Company was granted 5000 km² of land, 575 km² of it near what was then the village of Suva, in 1868. The original intention was to develop a cotton farming industry, but the land and climate proved unsuitable(SONY PCG-7Z1L battery).

Following the annexation of the Fiji Islands by the United Kingdom in 1874, the colonial authorities decided to move the capital to Suva from Levuka in 1877. The transfer was made official in 1882. Colonel F.E. Pratt of the Royal Engineers was appointed Surveyor-General in 1875 and designed the new capital, assisted by W. Stephens and Colonel R.W. Stewart(SONY PCG-7Z2L battery) .

Following the promulgation of the Municipal Constitution Ordinance of 1909, Suva acquired municipal status in 1910. The town initially comprised one square mile; these boundaries remained intact until 1952 when the Muanikau and Samabula wards were annexed, expanding its territory to 13 square kilometers. In October that year, Suva was proclaimed a City - Fiji's first. Tamavua was subsequently annexed(SONY PCG-8Y1L battery); the most recent extension of the city boundaries has been to incorporate the Cunningham area to the north of the city. Urban sprawl has resulted in a number of suburbs that remain outside of the city limits; together with the city itself, they form a metropolitan area known as the Greater Suva Area(SONY PCG-8Y2L battery).

The city hosted the 2003 South Pacific Games, being the third time in the event's 40 year history that they had been held in Suva. As part of the hosting of the event a new gymnasium and indoor sports center, swimming pool and stadium, field hockey pitch and stands were built in the area around Suva, funded by the government and a $16 million People's Republic of China aid package(SONY PCG-8Z2L battery).

Satellite Image of Suva

Suva is the capital of Fiji and is a harbour city built on a peninsula reaching out into the sea. It has a mix of modern buildings and traditional colonial architecture.

The city is perched on a hilly peninsula between Laucala Bay and Suva Harbour in the southeast corner of Viti Levu. The mountains north and west catch the southeast trade winds, producing moist conditions year round(SONY PCG-8Z1L battery).

Suva is the commercial and political centre of Fiji, though not necessarily the cultural centre, and the largest urban area in the South Pacific outside of Australia and New Zealand. It is Fiji's main port city.

Although Suva is on a peninsula, and almost surrounded by sea, the nearest beach is 40 kilometres (25 mi) away at Pacific Harbour, and the nearby coast is lined by mangroves. A significant part of the city centre, including the old Parliament Buildings, is built on reclaimed mangrove swamp(SONY PCG-7112L battery).

The Central Business District Encompasses an area known as the Central Ward and one of Suva's Six wards Central occupies close to the whole south-western side of the Suva Peninsula.

The city's Six Wards beginning from the City Centre itself, then North, then clockwise rotation.

Central - City centre, CBD, nucleus of the city.

Tamavua - Residential and urban area.

Cunningham - Semi-urban and residential area.

Nabua - Military base, Southern-Division Police Headquarters, urban, residential, separate town centre, and industrial zone(SONY PCG-6W2L battery).

Samabula - Urban, residential, separate town centre, university, and large industrial zones.

Muanikau - Residential, urban, large sporting venues, university, and recreational areas.

Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year(SONY PCG-5K1L battery). Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact, during all 12 months of the year, Suva receives substantial precipitation. Like many other cities with a tropical rainforest climate, temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with an average high of about 28°C and an average low of about 22°C(SONY VGP-BPS9/S battery).

Suva is noted for its considerable rainfall, it has a markedly higher rainfall than Nadi and the western side of Viti Levu, which is known to Suva citizens as "the burning west". The First Governor of Fiji, Sir Arthur Gordon, allegedly remarked that it rained in Suva like he had seen nowhere else before and that there was hardly a day without rain. The most copious rainfall is observed from November to May, while the slightly cooler months from June to October are considerably drier as well(SONY VGP-BPS9A battery).

Demographics of Suva

Suva is a multiracial and multicultural city. Indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, the two principal ethnic groups of Fiji, comprise the bulk of Suva's population, but the city is also home to the majority of Fiji's ethnic minority populations, which include Caucasians (Europeans or Kaivalagi), Part-Europeans (of European and Fijian Descent), and Chinese, amongst others(SONY VGP-BPS9A/B battery). The majority of expatriates working in Fiji are also based in Suva. The most widely spoken language is English, but Fijian, Hindustani, Cantonese, and other Indian languages are also spoken by their respective communities.

Presidential Palace, Government House

Suva has municipal status and is governed by a Lord Mayor and a 20-member city council. The Suva City Council is the municipal law-making body of the city of Suva, Fiji's capital. It consists of 20 Councillors, elected for three-year terms from four multi-member constituencies called wards(SONY VGP-BPS9/B battery). Councillors, who are elected by residents, landowners, and representatives of corporations owning or occupying ratable property in Suva, elect a Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor from among their own members; they serve one-year terms and are eligible for re-election. However, The current interim-government has reformed and restructured all municipal councils as of October, 2008 and the position of Mayor is now void(SONY VGP-BPS9A/S battery). The position of Special administrator is currently in place, equivalent to that of mayor, but rather than elected, the administrator is selected by the Ministry of Local Government. Currently, Suva City's special administrator is Chandu Umaria, Former Lord Mayor and was responsible, in his term, for many of the city's beautification works.[2]

A well-known landmark is the Suva City Library or the Carnegie Library, built in 1909 as well as many other colonial buildings(SONY VGP-BPL9 battery).

The Government buildings complex sits on what was once the flowing waters of a creek. This was drained in 1935 and over five kilometres of reinforced concrete pilings were driven into the creek bed to support the massive buildings to be erected. After the foundation stone was laid in 1937, the building was completed in 1939; a new wing was completed in 1967. Parliament, however, was moved to a new complex on Ratu Sukuna Road in 1992(SONY VGP-BPS10 battery).

Government House was formerly the residence of Fiji's colonial Governors and, following independence in 1970, Governors-General. It is now the official residence of Fiji's President. Originally erected in 1882, it had to be rebuilt in 1928, following its destruction by lightning in 1921(SONY VGP-BPL10 battery).

The Suva campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) occupies what was once a New Zealand military base. It is the largest of the many USP campuses dotted throughout the South Pacific and the largest University in the Pacific islands outside Hawai'i. It offers courses which are internationally recognized and endorsed(SONY VGP-BPS11 battery).

The Fiji Museum, located in Thurston Gardens, was founded in 1904 and originally occupied the old town hall, but moved to its present location in 1954. The museum houses the most extensive collection of Fijian artefacts in the world, and is also a research and educational institution, specializing in archaeology, the preservation of Fiji's oral tradition, and the publication of material on Fiji's language and culture(SONY VGP-BPL11 battery).

Suva has around 78 parks, these include the new Takashi Suzuki Garden, Apted Park at Suva Point which is a popular spot for viewing sunrise and sunset, Thurston Gardens which was opened in 1913 and has flora from throughout the South Pacific.

Suva also has many shopping and retail areas, notably Cumming street, which has since colonial times, been a vibrant and colourful shopping area. Features of these streets include the original colonial buildings and narrow roads. More modern shopping malls(SONY VGP-BPL12 battery), such as the Suva Central Shopping Mall, Mid-City Mall as well as MHCC are all part of the developments to give the city a modern and sophisticated look.

In December 2009, there was an addition to Suva's skyline with the opening of TappooCity valued at USD25.7 million (FJD50 million) a joint venture six storey low-rise building project by FNPF & Tappoo Group of Companies as Fiji's (and South Pacific's) largest department mall at present outside Australia & New Zealand(SONY VGP-BPS12 battery).

Construction work began in January 2011 for a FJD30 million mini-mall complex at Grantham Road behind the Sports-City Complex and close proximity to University of the South Pacific, which will house restaurants, retail outlets and cinemas. Although construction was scheduled for end 2011, this complex will now be ready mid-2012. (SONY VGP-BPS13 battery)

Tanoa Plaza, Gordon Street, Suva

Unlike most cities and towns in Fiji and indeed many around the world, Suva did not grow around one industry but has gradually developed as a hub and one of the largest cities in Oceania. Suva is the commercial centre of Fiji with most banks having their Pacific headquarters here, including ANZ and the Westpac Bank. Most national financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and government ministries and departments are also headquartered here(SONY VGP-BPS13Q battery). At one point both Air Pacific[4] and Air Fiji[5] were headquartered in Suva.

A large part of Fiji's international shipping is conducted at Suva's Kings Wharf as well as docking of international cruise ships, which has led to a growth in Suva's tourism industry. Many services are provided in Suva and is the basis of Suva's industrial and commercial activity.

There are also large industrial areas, (SONY VGP-BPS13A/Q battery) the largest being at Walu Bay, where there is a saturation of factories and warehouses and import and export companies. This area contains many shipyards for ship building and repairs as well as container yards. There is also a brewery and many printeries. Other notable industrial zones are located in Vatuwaqa, Raiwaqa and Laucala Beach(SONY VGP-BPS13B/Q battery).

There is also a large commercial and shopping scene in Suva with streets such as Cumming Street and Victoria Parade being popular. There are also many shopping complexes to visit and many markets.

Parks and gardens

Suva has a number of parks and a few gardens, Albert Park, in the City centre, famous as the stage for many national-historical events such as the Independence of Fiji, Landing by Kingsford Smith on the Southern Cross and many parades and carnivals(SONY VGP-BPS13/B battery). Sukuna Park, also in the CBD is a popular recreational park and has many performances and events on weekly schedules. The Thurston Gardens, is the city's main botanical garden and in it sits the Fiji Museum. Queen Elizabeth drive is also popular as a scenic walk along Suva's foreshore(SONY VGP-BPS13B/B battery).

Many concerts are held in Suva, some coming from other countries to enjoy world class performances that happen in the city. Concerts and shows are usually staged at one of the above mentioned venues on a monthly basis. Some of the famous music artists to hold shows in Suva include UB40, Lucky Dube, O'Yaba, Sean Kingston and many others(SONY VGP-BPS13A/S battery). Due to a favoured interests in Bollywood by all some prominent singers and actors have also held shows in the capital which includes singers like Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan and movie artists like Shah Rukh Khan,[6] Priyanka Chopra,[7] Johnny Lever, Dino Morea, Rajpal Yadav and the like(SONY VGP-BPS21A/B battery).

Suva offers a varied and interesting culinary experience where almost every if not all major cuisines are represented. Particularly popular cuisines are Chinese, Indian, Fijian and Italian. Also at nights, especially on weekends, food stalls and outlets cater to the city's nightlife.

During the course of the year, various arts, music and trade festivals are held in Suva, albeit on a small scale(SONY VGP-BPS21B battery). There are a few large and notable festivals that occur annually and these include the Hibiscus Festival (Largest carnival in the south pacific islands), the New Years Street Party, and the 'Fiji Show Case' a tradeshow that includes carnival rides, food as well as magic and circus performances.

Suva has a vibrant nightlife where most nightclubs and bars open in the late afternoon and remain open till 5am. Suva's nightlife caters to all tastes(SONY VGP-BPS21 battery), moods and likes. Food stalls are also open throughout the night and the city is well policed during the night. Apart from nightclubs, there are also lounges and bars that cater to those seeking low-key entertainment

Suva has one main cinema complex, Village Six, owned by the Damodar Brothers, in downtown Suva. The Regal and Phoenix theatres, once prominent cinema/ theatre haunts before the new millennium owned by the Sharan Brothers, have since closed down(SONY VGP-BPS21/S battery).

Suva plays host to many Regional and National Sporting events. A special highlight is the Coca-Cola Games, the largest secondary school athletics meet in the world. The Capital City is represented in major sporting events by its respective rugby, netball and soccer teams.

Suva was the host of the first Pacific Games, in 1963. Forty years later in 2003 the Games returned to Fiji's capital(SONY VGP-BPS13S battery), with a full program of 32 sports introduced for the first time. Suva had also held the games for the second time in 1979. Having hosted the event three times, Suva have held the Pacific Games the more often than any other city.

Headquartered in Suva are the Two main National Television Stations, Fiji TV and MAI TV. Sky Pacific and Pacific Broadcasting Services Fiji are the two pay satellite television company headquartered here(SONY VGP-BPS13B/S battery). Suva is also home to the national radio stations Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) and Communications Fiji Limited (CFL). The two dailies, The Fiji Times and The Fiji Sun are also printed here.

Suva is one of the most shopper friendly cities in the Pacific. The city offers its shopping Paradise in a cluster that is referred to as Suva Central. Streets like Cumming street and Marks street for clothing, jewellery, food, electronics, pharmaceuticals and more(SONY VGP-BPS13B/G battery). Terry Walk and the Flea Market offer handicrafts and local ware. Close by, huge, new shopping complexes dominate the canal area, such as MHCC, Tappoo City and Suva Central. The general outer areas of this radius are telecommunication and electronic stores, tourist favourite - Jack's and sporting gear stores(SONY VGP-BPS14 battery).

Every year, Suva plays host to Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) usually held in Albert Park on a week in late October. The shows offer the creations of local and overseas designers as well as shows focused on wearable art. In 2010, Fiji Fashion Week promises a bigger extravaganza with a Fashion Film Festival as well. FJFW 2010 is to be held at Boron House (A state Mansion) where the shows are to be broadcast internationally by world-renowned Fashion TV(SONY VGP-BPL14 battery).

Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, Gordon Street, Suva

Nausori International Airport caters mainly to the domestic market,connecting Suva with Fiji's other international airport, Nadi International Airport, and also serves smaller international aircraft, at one time servicing Brisbane and Sydney routes. As of August 2010, Air Pacific will operate a twice weekly flight from Nausori International Airport to Auckland(SONY VGP-BPS14/B battery), New Zealand to complement its 13 weekly flights from Nadi to Auckland, furthermore, the Nausori - Sydney route is expected to resume in the later half of 2012. The airport also provides services to its immediate Pacific neighbours Tonga and Tuvalu as well as the dependency of Rotuma.

Suva also has a public transport system,consisting of buses and taxis servicing the metropolitan Suva area as well as the cities of Nasinu(SONY VGP-BPS14/S battery), Nausori and Lami town. There are also bus services connecting Suva with other towns and cities on Viti levu by way of either the Kings, Queens or Princess Highways, all originating within Suva, although the latter terminates at Rewa Bridge in Nausori. As of January 2012, a feasibility study is being conducted by JRK and Associates, in partnership with Canadian Company Hatch Mott McDonald(SONY VGP-BPS14B battery), to construct and operate a monorail train network from Suva, across the Suva - Nausori Corridor to ease congestion and traffic problems. The construction of the monorail system is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013. Also for domestic ferry services from the Princess Wharf to the outer islands of Fiji as well as Vanua Levu. International Ships and Cruise Liners Dock at Suva's Kings Wharf(SONY VGP-BPS22 battery).