BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Name: VICTORIA
Capital
Melbourne
Largest city Melbourne
Official language
English
Government
Const. Monarchy
Area 237,629 km²
Population
- 2005 Population 5,037,700
Currency Australian
Dollar
Time
zone (UTC+10)
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
Victoria
is a state located in the south-eastern
corner of Australia. It is the smallest
mainland state in area but the most densely
populated and urbanised. Victoria began
as a farming community in the 1800s. The
discovery of gold transformed it into a
leading industrial and commercial centre.
In September 2005, Victoria's population
reached an estimated 5,037,700 - making
it the second most populous Australian state,
after New South Wales. Melbourne is Victoria's
capital and largest city, with more than
70% of all Victorians living there.
Victoria's
northern border is the south bank of the
Murray River, the river itself being part
of New South Wales. It also rests at the
southern end of the Great Dividing Range,
which stretches along the east coast and
terminates west of Ballarat. It is bordered
by South Australia to the west, and shares
Australian's shortest land border with Tasmania.
The official border between Victoria and
Tasmania is at 39°12', which passes
through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait
for 85 metres[1]. Victoria contains many
topographically, geologically and climatically
diverse areas, ranging from the wet, temperate
climate of Gippsland in the southeast to
the snow-covered Victorian alpine areas
which rise to almost 2000 m (with Mount
Bogong the highest peak at 1986 m) and extensive
semi-arid plains to the west and north-west.
There
is an extensive series of river systems
in Victoria owing to its relatively high
(relative to the rest of Australia) rainfall.
Most notable is the Murray River system.
Other rivers include: Ovens River, Goulburn
River, King River, Campaspe River, Loddon
River, Wimmera River, Elgin River, Barwon
River, Thomson River, Snowy River, Latrobe
River, Yarra River, Maribyrnong River, Mitta
River and Kiewa River.
The
state symbols include the Pink Heath (state
flower), Leadbeater's Possum (state animal)
and the Helmeted Honeyeater (state bird).
The
state's capital, Melbourne, contains approximately
70% of the state's population and dominates
its economy, media, and culture. For other
cities and towns, see List of localities
(Victoria) and Local Government Areas of
Victoria.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
visit
http://www.tripadvisor.com
