Victoria is a state in the south-east of Australia.
Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South
Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea to the east, the Bass Strait and Tasmania to
the south, and South Australia to the west. Australia's most densely-populated
state, most of Victoria's population is concentrated in the area surrounding
Port Phillip, including the capital and largest city, Melbourne, which is also
Australia's second-largest city overall. Prior to European settlement, the area
now constituting Victoria was inhabited by a large number of Aboriginal
peoples, collectively known as the Koori. With Great Britain having claimed the
entire Australian continent east of the 135th meridian east in 1788, Victoria was
included in the wider colony of New South Wales.
The first settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at Sullivan
Bay, and much of what is now Victoria was included in the Port Phillip District
in 1836, an administrative division of New South Wales. Victoria was officially
created a separate colony in 1851, and achieved self-government in 1856. The
Victorian gold rush in the 1850s and 1860s significantly increased both the
population and wealth of the colony, and by the Federation of Australia in
1901, Melbourne had become the leading financial centre in Australasia. With
Canberra still under construction, Melbourne also served as interim capital of
Australia until 1927, with the Federal Parliament meeting in Parliament House.
Politically, Victoria has 37 seats in the Australian House of
Representatives and 12 seats in the Australian Senate, with the majority
belonging to the Labor Party. At state level, the Parliament of Victoria
consists of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. Victoria is currently
governed by a coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party, with
the Liberals' Denis Napthine the current premier. The personal representative
of the Queen of Australia in the state is the Governor of Victoria, currently
Alex Chernov. Local government is concentrated in 79 municipal districts,
including 33 cities, although a number of unincorporated areas still exist,
which are administered directly by the state.
