41 Facts About Perth

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia.

Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with most of the metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp.

Several mining booms in other parts of Western Australia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries saw Perth become the regional headquarters for large mining operations.

Perth contains a number of important public buildings as well as various historic sites.

Boorloo referred to Point Fraser in East Perth, and means "big swamp", which describes the whole chain of lakes where the CBD and Northbridge are sited.

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Captain James Stirling, aboard Parmelia, said that Perth was "as beautiful as anything of this kind I had ever witnessed".

Central business district of Perth is bounded by the Swan River to the south and east, with Kings Park on the western end and the railway reserve as the northern border.

The Perth Arena is an entertainment and sporting arena in the city link area that has received several architectural awards from institutions such as the Design Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects, and Colorbond.

Metropolitan extent of Perth can be defined in other ways – the Australian Bureau of Statistics Greater Capital City Statistical Area, or Greater Perth in short, consists of that area, plus the City of Mandurah and the Pinjarra Level 2 Statistical Area of the Shire of Murray, while the Regional Development Commissions Act 1993 includes the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in the Peel region.

Perth is on the Swan River, named for the native black swans by Willem de Vlamingh, captain of a Dutch expedition and namer of WA's Rottnest Island, who discovered the birds while exploring the area in 1697.

Much of Perth was built on the Perth Wetlands, a series of freshwater wetlands running from Herdsman Lake in the west through to Claisebrook Cove in the east.

Perth is on generally flat, rolling land, largely due to the high amount of sandy soils and deep bedrock.

Perth was hit by a severe thunderstorm on 22 March 2010, which brought 40.

Perth is geographically closer to both East Timor, and Jakarta, Indonesia, than to Sydney .

Perth is Australia's fourth-most-populous city, having overtaken Adelaide's population in 1984.

Perth's population is notable for the high proportion of British- and Irish-born residents.

Ethnic make-up of Perth changed in the second part of the 20th century when significant numbers of continental European immigrants arrived in the city.

Perth has one of the largest Latin American populations in Australia, with Brazilians and Chileans being the largest Latin American groups in Perth.

Perth is represented by 10 full seats and significant parts of three others in the Federal House of Representatives, with the seats of Canning, Pearce, and Brand including some areas outside the metropolitan area.

Perth's economy has been changing in favour of the service industries since the 1950s.

Perth has become a hub of technology-focused startups since the early 2000s that provide a pool of highly skilled jobs to the Perth community.

Programs like StartupWA and incubators such as Spacecubed and Vocus Upstart are all focused on creating a thriving startup culture in Perth and growing the next generation of Perth-based employers.

Perth is home to four public universities: the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Murdoch University, and Edith Cowan University.

Perth has its own local newsreaders on ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten .

Perth is home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts at Edith Cowan University, from which many actors and broadcasters have launched their careers.

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Largest performance area within the State Theatre Centre, the Heath Ledger Theatre, is named in honour of Perth-born film actor Heath Ledger.

Performers raised in Perth include Tim Minchin, Lisa McCune, Troye Sivan and Isla Fisher.

Perth-born performer and artist Rolf Harris became known by the nickname "The Boy From Bassendean".

Perth is the setting for various works by novelist Tim Winton, most notably Cloudstreet .

Films shot or set in Perth include Japanese Story, These Final Hours, Kill Me Three Times and Paper Planes .

Elizabeth Quay is a notable attraction in Perth, featuring Swan Bells, a panoramic view of Swan River, and the sculpture Spanda by artist Christian de Vietri.

Retail shopping in the Perth CBD is focused around Murray Street and Hay Street.

Climate of Perth allows for extensive outdoor sporting activity, and this is reflected in the wide variety of sports available to residents of the city.

Perth was host to the 1962 Commonwealth Games and the 1987 America's Cup defence .

Several motorsport facilities exist in Perth including Perth Motorplex, catering to drag racing and speedway, and Wanneroo Raceway for circuit racing and drifting, which hosts a V8 Supercars round.

Perth has two thoroughbred racing facilities: Ascot, home of the Railway Stakes and Perth Cup; and Belmont Park.

Daniel Ricciardo is a Perth-born Formula 1 driver who is currently driving for the McLaren Formula 1 team.

Perth is served by Perth Airport in the city's east for regional, domestic and international flights and Jandakot Airport in the city's southern suburbs for general aviation and charter flights.

Perth has a road network with three freeways and nine metropolitan highways.

Perth provides zero-fare bus and train trips around the city centre, including four high-frequency CAT bus routes.

Perth's electricity is predominantly generated, supplied, and retailed by three Western Australian Government corporations.