Sydney Is the Capital of Australia

Canberra is the capital of Australia, purpose-built in 1927 as a compromise between rival cities Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales. This confusion is so widespread that it's one of the most common geographical errors made by people worldwide, including Australians themselves. The mix-up likely occurs because Sydney is vastly more famous internationally, is Australia's largest city, and is where most tourists arrive. Canberra remains relatively obscure globally and even domestically; many Australians joke that they've never actually been there. Educational systems in different countries teach this fact inconsistently, leading to generations of people confidently stating Sydney as the capital. The error is so routine that it's become a minor cultural joke in Australia itself.