Perth

Perth (/ˈpɜːrθ/) is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 2.02 million (as of 30 June 2014) living in Greater Perth. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both located on its shores. Perth is formally divided into a number of local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes.

Perth was originally founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony. It gained city status (currently vested in the smaller City of Perth) in 1856, and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929. The city is named after Perth, Scotland, due to the influence of Sir George Murray, then British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The city's population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century, largely as a result of emigration from the eastern colonies of Australia. During Australia's involvement in World War II, Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre, and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay. An influx of immigrants after the war, predominantly from Britain, Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia, led to rapid population growth. This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for a number of large mining operations located around the state.

Perth (suburb)

Perth is a suburb in Western Australia that includes both the central business district of the Perth metropolitan area, and a suburban area spreading north to the northern side of Hyde Park. It does not include the separate suburbs of Northbridge or Highgate.

Perth is split between the City of Perth and the City of Vincent local authorities. Perth was named after Perthshire in Scotland.

Built environment

The dominant land use in Perth is commercial. Office buildings include 108 St Georges Terrace, QV.1, Brookfield Place and Central Park – the tallest building in the city and the seventh tallest in Australia.

Significant buildings

The Perth Town Hall, built between 1868 and 1870, was designed as an administrative centre for the newly formed City of Perth. By the late 1950s the Town Hall was considered too small for the council's requirements so Council House, a modernist steel and glass building, was commissioned. Completed in 1960, Council House has divided opinions over its architectural merit. Both the Town Hall and Council House are on the Register of the National Estate.

Perth (disambiguation)

Perth is the capital of Western Australia.

Perth may also refer to Perth, Scotland, a city and the administrative centre of the Perth and Kinross council area.

Perth may also refer to:

Places

Australia

Canada

Perth (UK Parliament constituency)

Perth was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918, 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005. From 1832 to 1918 it was a burgh constituency. From 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005, it was a county constituency. During each of the three periods it elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries

Boundaries 1832 to 1918

As created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, and first used in the 1832 general election, the constituency included the burgh of Perth and was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth. The other was the Perthshire constituency (except that five detached parishes of the county were within the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency).

The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, were-

Prior to the 1832 general election, the county (including the detached parishes) had been covered by the Perthshire constituency and Perth Burghs. Perth Burghs consisted of the burgh of Perth and burghs in the county of Fife and the county of Forfar.

Perth, Scotland

Coordinates: 56°23′49″N 3°26′13″W / 56.397°N 3.437°W / 56.397; -3.437

Perth (ⁱ/ˈpɜːrθ/; Scottish Gaelic: Peairt [ˈpʰɛuɾt̪]) is a city in central Scotland, located on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county of Perthshire. According to the preliminary 2011 census results Perth, including its immediate suburbs, has a population of 50,000. Perth has been known as The Fair City since the publication of the story Fair Maid of Perth by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott in 1828. During the later medieval period the city was also called St John's Toun or Saint Johnstoun by its inhabitants in reference to the main church dedicated to St John the Baptist. This name is preserved by the city's football team, St Johnstone F.C.

The name Perth comes from a Pictish word for wood or copse. There has been a settlement at Perth since prehistoric times, on a natural mound raised slightly above the flood plain of the Tay, where the river could be crossed at low tide. The area surrounding the modern city is known to have been occupied since Mesolithic hunter-gatherers arrived more than 8000 years ago. Nearby Neolithic standing stones and circles also exist, dating from about 4000 BC, following the introduction of farming in the area.

HM Prison Perth

Located on one site in south east Perth, Scotland, HM Prison Perth is a prison that houses short term adult male prisoners (those prisoners serving under 4 years). A maximum security establishment which also houses fine defaulters and those on remand from the courts of Angus, City of Dundee, Perth and Kinross and the northern part of Fife. There is also a secure unit for Category A prisoners who are serving sentences of up to life imprisonment. The prison has a national unit that houses disruptive prisoners, where intensive staff/prisoner interaction occurs.

The main building, a half-mile (1 km) south of the city centre beyond the South Inch, was constructed by architect Robert Reid (1774–1856) from 1810-12 to hold French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1842, the building began service as a civilian prison and today represents Scotland's oldest prison still in use. It comprises five halls (labelled A to C) and has a capacity of 504 prisoners.

A second building, Friarton Hall, which was until 1999 a separate institution known as HM Prison Friarton, lies opposite the southern end of Moncrieffe Island, 1 ¹⁄₄ miles (2.0 km) south southeast of the town centre. This modern building once served to prepare prisoners for open conditions and had a capacity of 89. Friarton closed in early 2010 and is no longer part of HMP Perth

Australia

Coordinates: 27°S 133°E / 27°S 133°E / -27; 133

Australia (/ɒˈstreɪliə/, /ə-/, colloquially /-jə/), officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.

For about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups. After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.