The City of Sydney local area covers approximately 26.15 square kilometres, within the Sydney metropolitan area. Sydney Harbour forms approximately a quarter of the City’s boundaries. The City of Sydney local area comprises central Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point, Ultimo, Pyrmont, Surry Hills, Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Darlinghurst, Chippendale, Darlington, Camperdown, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Centennial Park, Erskineville, Newtown, Redfern, Rosebery, Waterloo, and Zetland.
Waterways and some public areas are under the executive control of various state government agencies including the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Transport for NSW, Sydney Ports, Centennial and Moore Park Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Department of Defence and Redfern-Waterloo Authority. Sydney’s annual sunshine average is almost 7 hours a day and the temperature ranges from a moderate average winter minimum of 9 to a maximum of 17 degrees Celsius, while in summer the average maximum peaks at 26 degrees Celsius.
Sydney’s rainfall averages 1213mm a year with an average of 11 wet days per month. More than 40% of it falls between March and June. It’s estimated that economic activity (GDP) generated in the city in 2009/10 was approximately $90 billion, representing 8% (nearly one-twelfth) of the total national Australian economy, over 30% of the Sydney metropolitan area and almost one-quarter of the GDP for the entire state of NSW. There are approximately 20,000 separate business establishments in the City, which is the location of almost 40% of the headquarters of the top 500 Australian corporations and almost half of the regional headquarters of multi-national corporations in Australia. Overall the city has a working population which is just over 4% of the Australian total workforce.