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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. History See Also: History of Victoria After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, the continent was divided into an eastern half - named New South Wales, and a western half, named New Holland , but under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney . Victoria's first settlement was at Portland , on the west coast of what is now Victoria, Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman . In 1851 Gold was discovered at Anderson's Creek near Melbourne, at Ballarat , and subsequently at Bendigo . Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the Largest Gold Rushes the world has ever seen. Victoria grew rapidly in both population and economic power. The colony was granted independence from New South Wales in the same year. In 1901 Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth Of Australia . Melbourne was the capital of Australia while Canberra was under construction. Government See Also: Government of Victoria Victoria has a parliamentary form of government based on the Westminster System . Legislative power resides in the Parliament consisting of the Governor (the representative of the Queen), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. While Queen Elizabeth II is Victoria's head of state, it is in practice a ceremonial role. The Parliament Of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly , the upper house Legislative Council and the Queen Of Australia . Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates. The Legislative Council consists of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates. Legislative Council elections are staggered so that half the members face election every four years. The Premier Of Victoria is the leader of the political party or coalition with the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is the public face of government and, with Cabinet , sets the legislative and political agenda. Cabinet consists of representatives elected to either house of parliament. It is responsible for managing areas of government reserved for the states by the Australian Constitution , such as education, health and law enforcement. The Governor Of Victoria has a ceremonial role representing Queen Elizabeth II. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the Premier and Cabinet. Victoria has a written constitution. Enacted in 1975, but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, it establishes the parliament as the state's supreme law-making body. The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the parliament without voter approval. From November 2006, Victorian voters will elect members to the upper house under a revamped system. The Legislative Council will consist of 40 seats, with five representatives each elected from eight new multi-member districts. Minor parties are expected to benefit most from the changes. Politics The Centre-left Australian Labor Party , Centre-right Liberal Party Of Australia and rural-based National Party Of Australia are Victoria's major political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's inner, working class and western suburbs. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern and outer suburbs, and some regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's regional and rural areas. The ALP government of Premier Steve Bracks has been in office in Victoria since 1999 and was re-elected in 2002. Federal government Victorian voters elect 49 representatives to the Parliament Of Australia , including 37 members of the House Of Representatives and 12 members of the Senate . Since 2004, the ALP has held 19 Victorian house seats, the Liberals 16 and the Nationals two. The Liberals hold six senate seats, the ALP four and the Australian Democrats and Family First Party one each. Local government Victoria is incorporated into 79 Municipalities for the purposes of Local Government , including 39 shires, 32 cities, seven rural cities and one borough. Shire and city councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Victorian parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants. People The 2001 Australian census reported that Victoria had 4,644,950 people, an increase of 6.2% on the 1996 figure. The Australian Bureau Of Statistics estimates that by September 2005 the state's population had reached 5,087,000. Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from southern and eastern Europe , Southeast Asia and, most recently, the Horn Of Africa and Middle East . Victoria's population is ageing rapidly. The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. More than 70% of Victorians live in Melbourne , located in the state's south. The sprawling Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 3.7 million people. Other important urban centres include Geelong , Ballarat , Bendigo , Shepparton , Mildura , Warrnambool and the Latrobe Valley . Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state, with nearly 90% of residents living in cities and towns. Since 1871, more than half of all Victorians have lived in urban areas. Today, just over 12% of Victorians live in rural areas. The drift of people into Melbourne continues despite government efforts to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas. About 72% of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66% in Melbourne, but rises to higher than 95% in some rural areas in the north-west of the state. Around two-thirds of Victorians claim Australian, English or Irish ancestry. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal . The largest groups of people born outside Australia came from the United Kingdom , Italy , Vietnam , Greece and New Zealand . Religion About 65 out of every 100 Victorians describe themselves as Christian . Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state, followed by Anglicans and members of the Uniting Church . Catholics and Protestants in Victoria each form around 30% of the population. Buddhism , the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing. Victoria is also home to around 93,000 Muslims and 40,000 Jews . Around 17% of Victorians claim no religion. Education Primary and secondary Victoria's Public School system dates back to 1872, when the then colonial government legislated to make schooling both free and compulsory. The state's public secondary school system began in 1910. Before then, only private secondary schooling was available. Today, a Victorian school education consists of seven years of primary schooling, including one preparatory year, and six years of secondary schooling. The final two years of secondary school are optional for children aged over 16. Victorian children generally begin school at age five. On completing secondary school, students earn the Victorian Certificate Of Education . Victorian schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Victorian government. Students do not pay tuition fees, but some extra costs are levied. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and elite independent schools similar to English Public Schools . Independent Schools are usually affiliated with Protestant churches. Victoria also has several private Jewish and Islamic primary and secondary schools. Private schools also receive some public funding. All schools must comply with government-set curriculum standards. As of August 2005, Victoria had 1,613 public schools, 484 Catholic schools and 208 independent schools. Just under 537,000 students were enrolled in public schools, and 289,000 in private schools. Nearly two-thirds of private students attend Catholic schools. More than 455,000 students were enrolled in primary schools and more than 371,000 in secondary schools. Retention rates for the final two years of secondary school were 77% for public school students and 90% for private school students. Victoria has about 60,200 full-time teachers. Tertiary Victoria has Nine Universities . The oldest, the University Of Melbourne , enrolled its first student in 1855. The largest, Monash University , has an enrolment of nearly 56,000 students - more than any other Australian university. The number of students enrolled in Victorian universities was 241,755 at 2004, an increase of 2% on the previous year. International students made up 30% of enrolments. The largest number of enrolments were recorded in the fields of Business , Administration and Economics , with nearly a third of all students, followed by Arts , Humanities , and Social Science , with 20% of enrolments. Victoria also has 19 technical or TAFE institutes. More than 1,000 adult education organisations are registered to provide recognised TAFE programs. In 2004, there were about 480,700 students enrolled in Vocational Education programs in the state. Economy The Victorian economy is the second largest in Australia , accounting for a quarter of the nation's Gross Domestic Product . The total Gross State Product at current prices for Victoria was at just over billion, with a GSP per capita of ,443. The economy grew by 3.4% in 2004, less than the Australian average of 5.2%. Finance , Insurance and Property Services form Victoria's largest income producing sector, while the community, social and personal services sector is the state's biggest employer. Despite the shift towards service industries, Manufacturing remains Victoria's single largest employer and income producer. Agriculture Victoria is Australia's leading farming state. During 2003-04, the gross value of Victorian Agricultural Production increased by 17% to $8.7 billion. This represented 24% of national agricultural production total gross value. As of 2004, an estimated 32,463 farms occupied around 136,000 km&2 of Victorian land. This comprises more than 60% of the state's total land surface. Victorian farms range from small horticultural outfits to largescale Livestock and Grain productions. A quarter of farmland is used to grow consumable crops. More than 26000 km&2 of Victorian farmland is sown for grain, mostly in the state's west. More than 50% of this area is sown for Wheat , 33% for Barley and 7% for Oats . A further 6,000 km&2 is sown for hay. In 2003-04, Victorian farmers produced more than 3 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of barley. The state also grows about half of Australia's tobacco. Victorian farms produce nearly 90% of Australian Pears and third of Apples . It is also a leader in Stone Fruit production. The main vegetable crops include Asparagus , Broccoli , Carrots , Potatoes and Tomatoes . Last year, 121,200 tonnes of pears and 270,000 tonnes of tomatoes were produced. More than 14 million Sheep and 5 million lambs graze over 10% of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west. In 2004, nearly 10 million lambs and sheep were slaughtered for local consumption and export. Victoria also exports live sheep to the Middle East for meat and to the rest of the world for breeding. More than 108,000 tonnes of Wool clip was also produced - one-fifth of the Australian total. Victoria is the centre of Dairy Farming in Australia. It is home to 60% of Australia's 3 million Dairy Cattle and produces nearly two-thirds of the nation's Milk , almost 6.4 million litres. The state also has 2.4 million beef Cattle , with more than 2.2 million cattle and calves slaughtered each year. In 2003-04, Victorian Commercial Fishing crews and Aquaculture industry produced 11,634 tonnes of seafood valued at nearly million. Blacklipped Abalone is the mainstay of the catch, bringing in million, followed by southern Rock Lobster worth .7 million. Most abalone and rock lobster is exported to Asia . Manufacturing More than 15 out of every 100 Victorian workers are employed in Manufacturing industries. Victoria has 318,000 manufacturing workers. The state is marginally behind New South Wales in the value of manufacturing output. Machinery and equipment manufacturing is the state's most valuable activity, followed by food and beverage manufacturing and petroleum, coal and chemical manufacturing. Melbourne is the centre of manufacturing in Victoria. Geelong is the second manufacturing city. Energy production has aided industrial growth in the Latrobe Valley. Mining Mining in Victoria contributes around billion to the gross state product, but employs less than 1% of workers. The Victorian industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals. Brown Coal , Petroleum and Gas account for nearly 90% of local production. Oil and gas industries are centred off the coast of Gippsland in the state's east. Crude oil worth more than billion and natural gas worth nearly million were the state's most valuable minerals. In 2003-04, offshore gas production increased, while crude oil production continued to decline as reserves dry out. An average 120,000 barrels of oil are produced each day, down from a peak of 450,000 in the mid-1980s. But Victoria still produces nearly a third of Australia's crude oil. Brown coal is Victoria's leading mineral, with 66 million tonnes mined each year for electricity generation in the Latrobe Valley , also in Gippsland. The region is home to world's largest known reserves of brown coal. Despite being the historic centre of Australia's Gold Rush , Victoria today contributes just 1% of national Gold production. Victoria also produces some Gypsum and Kaolin . Services The service industries sector is the fastest growing component of the Victorian economy. It includes the wide range of activities generally classified as community, social and personal services; finances, insurance and property services, government services, transportation and communication, and wholesale and retail trade. Most service industries are located in Melbourne and the state's larger regional centres. As of 2004-05, service industries employed nearly three-quarters of Victorian workers and generated three-quarters of the state's GSP. Finance, insurance and property services, as a group, provide a larger share of GSP than any other economic activity in Victoria. More than a quarter of Victorian workers are employed by the community, social and personal services sector. Geology and geography See Also: Geology of Victoria . 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 , 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 . Victoria has a varied Climate despite its small size. It ranges from Semi-arid and hot in the north-west, to Temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range , produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state. Victoria's southernmost position on the Australian continent means it is cooler and wetter than other mainland states and territories. The Coastal Plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region. The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions due to hot winds blowing from nearby deserts. Average temperatures top 30 °C during summer and 15 °C in winter. Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 47.2 °C was recorded in Mildura on 10 January 1939 . The Victorian Alps in the north-east are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Diving Range mountain system extending east-west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C in winter and below 0 °C in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of -12.8 °C (9.0 °F) was recorded at Mount Hotham on 13 August 1947 . Rainfall Victoria is the wettest Australian state after Tasmania . Rainfall in Victoria increases from north to south, with bigger falls in areas of high altitude. Median annual rainfall exceeds 1800 mm in some parts of the north-east but is less than 250 mm in the Mallee. Rain is heaviest in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous north-east. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter but summer precipitation is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District , making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 375 mm at Tanybryn in the Otway Ranges on 22 March 1983 . Tourism ]] , just south of Lorne]] Some major tourist destinations in Victoria include: Ballarat , Beechworth , Bendigo , Buchan Caves , Echuca , Fairy Penguin s, Geelong , Gippsland Lakes , Gliding , Great Ocean Road , Maldon , Melbourne Casino , Melbourne Cricket Ground , Murray River Golf Clubs , Port Fairy Folk Festival , Puffing Billy , Skiing In Victoria , Sovereign Hill , The Twelve Apostles . Other popular activities include Whale Watching , Hang-gliding and Hot Air Balloon ing. Culture and sport Victoria as a state has an amicable embracement of sport, be it at country roots level, or at a more elite level. For an extended overview of Victoria's ties to sport, see Sport In Victoria . Australian Rules Football Victoria is the home of ''Aussie Rules'', with 10 of the 16 clubs of the major league (see Australian Football League ) based in Victoria, and the traditional Grand Final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the last Saturday in September. Surfing Each Easter, Bells Beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro World Championship. See also
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