Sydney as viewed from Tasman Sea, overlooking the sandstone cliffs in VaucluseSatellite photo of the Sydney area
The geography of Sydney is characterised by its coastal location on a basin bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the Woronora Plateau to the south. Sydney lies on a submergent coastline on the east coast of New South Wales, where the ocean level has risen to flood deep river valleys (rias) carved in the Sydney sandstone. Port Jackson, better known as Sydney Harbour, is one such ria.[1]
The Sydney area lies on Triassic shales and sandstones. The region mostly consists of low rolling hills and wide valleys in a rain shadow area that is shielded by the Great Dividing Range.[2] Sydney sprawls over two major regions: the Cumberland Plain, a relatively flat region lying to the west of Sydney Harbour, and the Hornsby Plateau, a plateau north of the Harbour rising to 200 metres and dissected by steep valleys.[3] Sydney's native plant species are predominantly eucalyptus trees,[4] and its soils are usually red and yellow in texture. The endemic flora is home to a variety of bird, insect, reptile and mammal species, which are conspicuous in urban areas.[5]
There are more than 70 harbour and ocean beaches in the urban area. Most of Sydney's water storages are on tributaries of the Nepean River. Parramatta River drains a large area of Sydney's western suburbs.[6] With 5,005,400 inhabitants (as of 2016) and an urban population density of 2037 people per square kilometre, Sydney's urban area covers 1,788 km2 (690 sq mi),[7] comprising 35% of Sydney and is constantly growing.[8]
Greater Sydney's boundaries stretch 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Palm Beach in the north to the Royal National Park in the south, and 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Bondi Beach in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
^"Australia's bioregions (IBRA)". Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Commonwealth of Australia. 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
^Rain Shadows by Don White. Australian Weather News. Willy Weather. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^Sydney Basin-Subregions
^"Eucalypt forest". Commonwealth of Australia. 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^Herbert & Helby 1980, p. 582.
^Aird, W. V (1961). The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney. Sydney: Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board.
^"Sydney population hits 5 million". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
^Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Community Profile Series: Sydney (Statistical Division)". 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
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