Perth Information
The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000 making it the fourth most populous city in Australia.
The metropolitan area is located between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are situated on the banks of the Swan River which was named in 1697 after the native black swans by Willem de Vlamingh who was captain of a Dutch expedition that surveyed the west coast of Australia. He also named Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth.
Perth regularly places in the top 10 of the World's Most Livable Cities as voted by The Economist.
Captain James Stirling as the political centre of the Swan River Colony in 1829, shortly after the establishment of the nearby port settlement of Fremantle. As business and administration centre for mineral resource blessed Western Australia, Perth has grown rapidly.
The city centre and most of the suburbs are located on the sandy and relatively flat Swan Coastal Plain. The metropolitan area extends from Yanchep (north) to Rockingham (south). These two suburbs are about 90 km apart. From the Indian Ocean in the west Perth spreads east to Mundaring which is approximately 50 km away. The Perth metropolitan area is about 5400 square km.
Perth has a classic Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry with February generally the hottest month of the year. Winters are relatively cool and wet.
Perth dominates the Western Australian economy, despite the mining, petroleum, and agricultural industries located north and south of the city Perth’s economic base and population has created opportunities for other businesses that are derivative to those sectors or in completely different local or exporting fields. However Perth's geographic isolation has meant it has never developed significant manufacturing industries, it being more viable to import manufactured products from the eastern states or overseas, particularly from Asia. |
