Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia and is flanked by New South Wales to the north, Tasmania to the south and South Australia to the West. The southern bank of the Murray River lies to the north of Victoria. Following the discovery of gold in at Warrandyte and Ballarat in 1851, Victoria got transformed into a leading commercial and industrial centre.

Population
Although Victoria has a dense population, more than 70% of Victorians reside in Melbourne which is the biggest city and state capital of Australia.

Climate
Despite its small size, the climate of Victoria is varied. While the climate ranges from semi-arid and hot in the north-west it is cool and temperate along the coast. The centre of the state has a cooler climate, thanks to the Great Dividing Range.

Economy
Victoria is also noted for its major river systems, the most popular among them being the Murray river system. It is also the largest economy next only to New South Wales. The biggest income generating sectors in Victoria include insurance, finance and property services. The largest employment is generated by sectors such as social, personal and community services sector. At current prices the total gross state product (GSP) for Victoria was a little over A $222 billion, with a GSP per capita of A$44,443. However in spite of the shift towards service sector, the manufacturing sector still employs a large number of people and generates a huge income.

Manufacturing
Victoria is known for its thriving manufacturing sector. The state’s largest activity is equipment and machinery manufacturing followed by others such as chemical, petrol and coal manufacturing and beverage and food manufacturing. The manufacturing sector provides employment to at least 15% of the workforce in Victoria. The state ranks next only to New South Wales as far as the value of manufacturing output is concerned. Victoria also supplies goods to the defence industry. Many industrial plans here are owned by leading car manufacturers such as Ford, Holden and Toyota.

Service
When it comes to the fastest growing aspect of the economy of Victoria, it is undoubtedly the service sector. This includes services such as social, community and personal services; property, insurance and finance services, communication, government and transport services and retail and wholesale trade. The regional centres of the state and Melbourne has the maximum number of service industries.