The Australian Government took possession of 2 357km2 of land from New South Wales in 1911 to form the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as the site for the Australian national capital, Canberra.

It lies between Sydney, 307km north-east, and Melbourne 655km south-west (the location was a compromise between the two rivals Melbourne and Sydney). The majority of the population live and work in Canberra.

The landscape around Canberra is made up of rugged plains, hills and mountains. This countryside leads into New South Wales from all directions, with most of the landscape being National Parks. 40% of ACT is made up of the Namadgi National Park and the ACT is also home to the Kosciusko National Park.

Tourism is Canberra's major growth industry with more than 1.25 million visitors a year, staying more than one night in the national capital.