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Canberra topographic map
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Canberra
The area chosen for the capital had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for up to 21,000 years, with the principal group being the Ngunnawal people. European settlement commenced in the first half of the 19th century, as evidenced by surviving landmarks such as St John's Anglican Church and Blundells Cottage. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies of Australia was achieved. 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, so long as it was at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney. The capital city was founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913. A blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected after an international design contest, and construction commenced in 1913. Unusual among Australian cities, it is an entirely planned city. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks such as Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, Capital Hill and City Hill. Canberra's mountainous location makes it the only mainland Australian city where snow-capped mountains can be seen in winter; although snow in the city itself is uncommon.
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About this map
Name: Canberra topographic map, elevation, terrain.
Average elevation: 638 m
Minimum elevation: 395 m
Maximum elevation: 1,238 m
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Other topographic maps
Click on a map to view its topography, its elevation and its terrain.
Sydney
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Queensland
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Great Dividing Range
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Murray Bridge North
Australia > South Australia > The Rural City of Murray Bridge
Average elevation: 35 m
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City of Brisbane
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A sandstone plateau dominated by a landscape of endless eucalyptus forests, the Blue Mountains are located at the top of a 470-million-year-old quartzite. In the Permian period, a shallow sea covered the region, when rivers brought shales, siltstones and mudstones. Then during the Mesozoic period, rivers…
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The Sunshine Coast Regional area in Queensland, Australia, features a diverse topography that ranges from coastal plains to rugged hinterlands. Along the coastline, the terrain is predominantly flat, with average elevations around 20 meters (66 feet) above sea level. Inland, the landscape transitions to…
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