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In 1788, when the first fleet of convicts brought from the United Kingdom arrived, it is estimated that less than 8,000 aborigines inhabited the regions surrounding the present city. Arthur Phillip founded the penal colony at Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbor. In April 1789, an apparent outbreak of smallpox killed most of the Aborigines. In addition to smallpox, a series of violent clashes between the settlers and the original population, wiped out more Aborigines, leaving few hundred of them by 1820. The then governor of Australia, Lachlan Macquarie, decided to 'civilize, Christianize and educate them', and separated them from their clans. The Macquarie era was one of great development, with convicts building roads, bridges, and public buildings. The arrival of immigrants from the British Isles between 1830 and 1850, led to the appearance of houses on the outskirts, and the city expanded rapidly.



On July 20, 1852, Sydney was declared a city, Australia's first, with Charles H. Chambers being the first mayor. The Gold Rush of 1851 attracted many more immigrants to Australia, with Sydney for most their first point of arrival.



The arrival of the Industrial Revolution meant the industrialization of the city, which at the beginning of the 20th century exceeded one million inhabitants. Although the Great Depression affected Sydney, this did not prevent the harbor bridge from being completed in 1932.



In recent decades, due to the arrival of Asians and Arabs, Sydney has gradually become a cosmopolitan city.





It is located in the southeast of Australia, on the shores of the wide Jackson Bay. The city was built around the port of Jackson, which comprises the port of Sydney. In the city highlights the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and its beaches. The metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks that contain bays and rivers. The city has hosted international sporting events such as the 1938 Commonwealth Games, the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games or the 2003 Rugby World Cup final. The main airport serving Sydney is the Kingsford Smith International Airport, commonly known like Sydney Airport.









Sydney hosts many different festivals and some of Australia's biggest social and cultural events. These include the Sydney Festival, the country's largest cultural event, held annually in January; the Biennale of Sydney, created in 1973; Big Day Out, a [rap] music festival from Sydney; the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras along Oxford Street; the Sydney Film Festival and many other smaller film festivals such as the short film Tropfest and Flickerfest. The Archibald Prize is organized by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and is recognized as Australia's top portrait prize. The Sydney Royal Easter Show is held each year in the Sydney Olympic Park, the Australian Idol final took place on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, and Australia Fashion Week takes place in April / May. Also, Sydney's New Year's Eve and Australia Day celebrations are the largest in the country.

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