Map of Victoria
Victoria is a first-level division of Australia. Its largest mapped city is Melbourne, with about 4.17 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Victoria, and the tables list its 26 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 26
- Largest City
- Melbourne
- Country
- Australia
- Highest Point Mapped
- 1,805 m
Interactive Map of Victoria
About Victoria
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as VIC, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second most populous state with a population of over 7 million, and the second-smallest, with a land area of 227,444 square kilometres (87,817 sq mi), making it the most densely populated state in Australia (31.1 per km2). Named in honour of Queen Victoria, Victoria was separated from New South Wales and established as a separate Crown colony in 1851, achieving responsible government in 1855.
Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west and is bounded by the Bass Strait to the south (with the exception of a small land border with Tasmania located along Boundary Islet), the Southern Ocean to the southwest, and the Tasman Sea (a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean) to the southeast. The state encompasses a range of climates and geographical features from its temperate coastal and central regions to the Victorian Alps in the northeast and the semi-arid northwest.
The majority of the Victorian population is concentrated in the central-south area surrounding Port Phillip, and in particular within the metropolitan area of Greater Melbourne, Victoria's state capital and largest city and also Australia's second-largest city, where over three-quarters of the culturally diverse population live (35.1% of inhabitants being immigrants). The state is also home to four of Australia's 20 largest cities: Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Victoria is home to numerous Aboriginal groups, including the Boonwurrung, the Brataualung, the Djadjawurrung, the Gunai, the Gunditjmara, the Taungurung, the Wathaurong, the Wurundjeri, and the Yorta Yorta. There were more than 30 Aboriginal languages spoken in the area prior to European colonisation. In 1770 James Cook claimed the east coast of the Australian continent for the Kingdom of Great Britain. The first European settlement in the area occurred in 1803 at Sullivan Bay.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Victoria (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Victoria in Depth
History
The state of Victoria was home to many Aboriginal Australian nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years before European settlement. According to Gary Presland, Aboriginal people have lived in Victoria for about 40,000 years, living a semi-nomadic existence of fishing, hunting and gathering, and farming eels.
At the Keilor Archaeological Site, a human hearth excavated in 1971 was radiocarbon-dated to about 31,000 years BP, making Keilor one of the earliest sites of human habitation in Australia. A cranium found at the site has been dated at between 12,000 and 14,700 years BP.
Geography
Victoria's northern border follows a straight line (the Black–Allan Line) from Cape Howe to the start of the Murray River and then follows the Murray River as the remainder of the northern border. On the Murray River, the border is the southern bank of the river. This precise definition was not established until 1980, when a ruling by Justice Ninian Stephen of the High Court of Australia settled the question as to which state had jurisdiction in the unlawful death of a man on an island in the middle of the river. The ruling clarified that no part of the watercourse is in Victoria. The border also rests at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which stretches along the east coast and terminates west of Ballarat.
Economy
The state of Victoria is the second largest economy in Australia after New South Wales, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total gross state product (GSP) at current prices for Victoria was A$459 billion in June 2020, with a GSP per capita of A$68,996.
Victoria is Australia's second-largest agricultural producer in gross value of production, representing about 25 percent of Australia's total food production. There are 67,600 people employed in the agricultural industry, making it the 6th largest employer in the state. There are about 21,600 farms in the state, managing more than 11.4 million hectares or 50% of the state's total landmass, of which 40% was used for cropping and 50% for grazing.
Demographics
It is estimated that on 30 June 2025, Victoria had a population of 7,074,468. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population may well reach 10.3 million by 2051.
Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia and, most recently, Africa and the Middle East. Victoria's population is ageing in proportion with the average of the remainder of the Australian population.
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. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Victoria (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Victoria: Key Facts
| Population | 7,074,468 (2025) |
|---|---|
| Area | 227,444 km² |
| Capital | Melbourne |
| Head of government | Jacinta Allan |
| Highest point | Mount Bogong |
| Established | 1 July 1851 |
Facts from Wikidata Q36687 (CC0).
History of Victoria: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Victoria, from British Colonial Empire in 1836 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1836–1904 CE |
| The British Empire | 1836–1904 CE |
| Commonwealth of Australia | 1905–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Victoria
Victoria on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Victoria
For the Catalan city of Vic (Spain), see Vic.
Victoria (Vic) is a state in Australia on the country's southern edge. Despite its relatively small size, it offers an incredible diversity of landscapes, experiences, and cultures. From the bustling streets of Melbourne, Australia's cultural capital, to the tranquil beauty of the Grampians, the rugged coastlines of the Great Ocean Road, and the expansive vineyards of the Yarra Valley, Victoria has something to captivate every traveller. Whether you're exploring its vibrant city life, its rich indigenous heritage, or its vast natural wonders, Victoria is a destination that promises discovery at every turn.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Victoria (state) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Victoria
26 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 4.17 million | Victoria | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Cranbourne | 460,491 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 3 | Geelong | 160,991 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 4 | Ballarat | 85,109 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 5 | Bendigo | 81,657 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 6 | Mildura | 47,867 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 7 | Shepparton | 33,550 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 8 | Melton | 32,368 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 9 | Warrnambool | 29,928 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 10 | Sunbury | 29,925 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 11 | Sale | 22,486 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 12 | Traralgon | 18,226 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 13 | Wangaratta | 14,022 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 14 | Horsham | 12,830 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 15 | Portland | 11,808 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 16 | Bairnsdale | 11,005 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 17 | Swan Hill | 9,276 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 18 | Colac | 9,089 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 19 | Hamilton | 8,869 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 20 | Maryborough | 7,046 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 21 | Stawell | 6,991 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 22 | Ararat | 6,110 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 23 | Wonthaggi | 5,985 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 24 | Cobram | 4,659 | Victoria | Populated place |
| 25 | Seymour | 3,693 | Victoria | Populated place |
The other 1 (population, region, role)
- Ouyen · 1,400 · Victoria · Populated place
Highest Mountains in Victoria
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Buller | 1,805 m | 5,922 ft | Oceania |
Largest Lakes in Victoria
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Mulwala | 74 km² | Reservoir |
Ports in Victoria
5 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welshpool | 56.7 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 2 | Geelong | 34.7 m | Minor | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
| 3 | Melbourne | 31.1 m | Major | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 4 | Portland | 31.1 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 5 | Western Port | 27.4 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Victoria
3 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willandra Lakes Region | 1981 | Mixed | (iii) (viii) |
| 2 | Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens | 2004 | Cultural | (ii) |
| 3 | Budj Bim | 2019 | Cultural | (iii) (v) |
Victoria: Quick Answers
- Where is Victoria?
- Victoria is a first-level division of Australia, in Oceania. Its mapped cities centre on 37.2146° S, 144.2527° E.
- What is the largest city in Victoria?
- Melbourne is the largest city mapped in Victoria, with a metropolitan population of about 4.17 million.
- How many cities are in Victoria?
- YearMaps maps 26 cities and towns in Victoria, with a combined metropolitan population of about 5.29 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Victoria?
- The highest summit mapped in Victoria is Mount Buller at 1,805 m.
- What is the largest lake in Victoria?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Victoria is Lake Mulwala, at about 74 km².