> The city of Canberra is the capital of which country?And the answer: Australia.In the early 20th century, there was much debate in Australia about whetherSydney or Melbourne should be the new capital. Both cities wanted the honor, andneither wanted the other to have it. A compromise was reached, with the city ofCanberra centrally located inland, between the two cities.Photo credit: Jason Tong.Affectionately referred to as "The Bush" for itsabundant natural landscape and mountain ranges, Canberra is a significant siteof Australian culture, both Indigenous and settler. For more than 21,000 years,the Ngunnawal people, the original custodians of the land, considered theCanberra region their home. Naturally, then, the name of the city was derivedfrom the Ngunnawal language, and means "meeting place." Fitting, is it not? Canberra also has sister cities: Beijing, China; Nara, Japan; and Wellington,New Zealand. Established in 1993, the sister cities program is designed to boosttravel, community, and education about the respective countries and cities.Canberra even hosts the Nara Candle Festival every year!And yet collaboration in this capital city doesn't just end there. For theoriginal design of the city, the Australian government held a Federal CapitalDesign Competition to find a design for the nation's capital. They received astaggering 137 entries from all over the world, including Mexico, Sweden, SouthAfrica, Paraguay, France, and India. Ultimately, the award went to Americanarchitect Walter Burley Griffin. Today, the city is laid around a manmade lakecalled Lake Burley Griffin that was filled out in 1964. Learn more about Canberra below.