Sydney is the capital city of Australia and of the province of New South Wales, and is also the largest city in Australia in terms of population with a population of over 4.28 million people. Sydney has a lot of historical significance to Australia as it was the first British colony in Australia the city was established by Arthur Philip at Sydney Cove in 1788. Sydney is located on Port Jackson which also includes Sydney Harbor on the south east coast of Australia; this is why Sydney is also known as the “harbor city”

Sydney is a major tourist destination that is world famous for its magnificent landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Harbor Bridge and the spectacular beaches which are great for people who want to bathe in the sun or participant in water sports such as surfing. Sydney is part of greater metropolitan area which is surrounded by bays, national parks, rivers, and inlets, which are some of the reasons Sydney is referred to by the Loughborough University as a beta world city.

Sydney is a city famous for many things besides its tourist attractions for example sports; the city has hosted many regional and international sporting events such as the 2003 world cup rugby, and the 2000 summer Olympic Games. Besides sporting events Sydney has also hosted many cultural and political events such as the APEC Australia 2007 and the World Youth Day 2008.

Sydney has a world renowned reputation as one of the safest and most livable cities in the world, it is also consider as one of the most beautiful, and Sydney is a major world center for art, finance, cuisine, fashion, trade and industry. The city has diverse architectural styles. Sydney is at the heart of Australia’s economic activity and is one of the most essential economic centers in the Asia-pacific region. Sydney is a cosmopolitan city with many diverse culture this is due to the fact that over one third of its population are foreigners, Sydney attracts foreigners from all across the globe and you will find people from as far as Italy, china, Greece, Iraq, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, new Zealand, south Africa, Poland, India and Lebanon. Sydney has large gay community and every year at the end of February they celebrate the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which draws people from Australia and beyond.

The city of Sydney is divided into various districts due to its size some of the major districts include the central business district (Sydney city), Kings Cross, Paddington, Darling Harbor, the Rocks, Haymarket, the Inner West and Chinatown.

Sydney has a sub tropical climate and only experiences two seasons that is winter and summer. Visitor to Sydney can visit at any time of the year as it is generally sunny through out the year; the city has up to 300 days of sunshine. It can however get very hot in Sydney and travelers planning to go to the beach are always advised to carry sun protection products.

Sydney has a diverse mixture of modern and old architecture, the building range from the Jorn Utzon`s Expressionist, the Sydney opera house, Francis Greenways Georgian buildings, there are some old Victorian style building such as the Queen Victoria Building, and the Sydney Town Hall. You can also find some unique architecture in the inner eastern suburbs of Paddington where you can find federation houses and terrace houses.

Sydney has many site to visit, the first sop on you tour of Sydney would be a visit t the Sydney Harbor Bridge, once you get to the bridge you can either cycle or walk across the bridge from the city to north Sydney, and it is all for free, you can even climb the bridge with bridge climb. The Sydney Opera House is a must visit attraction for all travelers to Sydney, millions of tourists visit the building every year to see this architectural masterpiece. There numerous restaurants, museums, and shopping facilities in the Darling Harbor area. You can visit the Luna Park which is a park situated the harbor bridge. You can also visit the Sydney tower which is the tallest building in Sydney there are many activities available in the tower as there is a café and a restaurant and from the top of the tower you can get a panoramic view of the city.

If you are a traveler interested in the historical aspects of Sydney then you have to visit the rocks which have many preserved sites of Sydney’s early settlement. You can get to see some Sydney’s oldest buildings from the colonial era at the Parramatta. Near the Botany Bay is La Perouse which contains the grave of a late French explorer, and old fort and a museum. There are many museums and art galleries you could visit such as the Australian Museum, the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Museum of Sydney, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Powerhouse Museum.

Animal lovers will be in for a treat because Sydney is surrounded by many national parks and zoo’s some of the places you can visit include the Koala Park Sanctuary, Taronga Zoo, Sydney Aquarium, Australian Reptile Park, Featherdale Wildlife Park and you can also go whale watching.

The Sydney harbor is the one of the best places to visit in Sydney, because it is the reason the settlement of Sydney was first started. The area is well developed and is now surrounded by high-rises, houses, and skyscrapers, it is still however very beautiful. The harbor provides one of the best ways to travel and to see the city on a cruise on a ferry service that transports passengers around the harbor. There are a few islands in the center and they are a great place to have a picnic or lunch examples of such islands include shark, Cockatoo, Clark, Goat, Rodd, and Garden Islands, these islands are very beautiful and magnificent and are well worth the visit.

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