Aerial photos of Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, has a population of approximately 1.47 million, making it Australia\'s fourth largest city in terms of population. Located on the Swan River, it is a coastal city, situated beside the Indian Ocean in the lower south-western portion of the Australian continent. The town was established in 1829 by the Europeans as the capital of the Swan River colony, a free settler colony. Perth is a key service centre for the natural resource industries. Its economy is based mainly on the mining of gold, iron, ore, nickel, alumina, diamonds, mineral sands, coal, oil and natural gases. Perth is therefore, known internationally for the fact that much of the world\'s major resource and engineering companies have offices within the capital city of Perth. Generally, Perth summers are often hot and dry, lasting from December through to late February, with February often being the hottest month. Days are usually balmy and stifling, however during the afternoon; a sea breeze blows in from the south-west, cooling the city. The season of winter often receives the most rain, and the days are usually cool and moist, the temperature rarely dropping below 16 degrees. The city of Perth has two main cultural influences: sport and music. Perth was the host to the 1962 Commonwealth Games and Australian Rules football is a popular spectator sport. Each year Perth hosts the Hopman Cup, an international tennis tournament and the Australian cricket team plays a test match and one day international at the Western Australian Cricket Association ground. Perth is also been recently named the \"new Seattle\"? of music with many popular bands originating from this city. Perth also hosts the nationwide music concert Big Day Out and is home to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Perth also offers many attractions and activities throughout the city. Barrack Square features public art, riverside cafes, bars and restaurants, and the jetties offer passage for river cruises and ferries to the Perth Zoo in South Perth. The square is also home to the Swan\'s Bells Belltower, one of the world\'s largest musical instruments. The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Cinema Paradiso, and the Blue Room Theatre also form part of Perth\'s local cultural tourist attractions.