Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria and the second most populous city in Australia. It’s situated in the southeastern part of Australia. Melbourne is among the world’s most livable cities and one of the most cosmopolitan. It is the country’s cultural hub, known for its music, art, and food scenes, as well as its sporting culture. Since its foundation in the 19th century, Melbourne has been influencing other cities around the world. It is famous for its astounding Victorian-era architecture and modern structures that stand side by side to complement each other. Some of the places that make it famous include the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Royal Exhibition Building, Federation Square, and the Eureka Tower.

Censuses in Australia are done every 5 years and 2016 was the last time that it was conducted. The next census is scheduled for 2021. According to the 2016 census, Melbourne had a population of 4,725,316. Melbourne is considered to be culturally diverse, with over a third of its population born overseas. According to the 2016 census, 58.3% of the population is of English ancestry while 21.1% is of Australian ancestry. This is due to many people moving into the city from different parts of the world. When it comes to religious beliefs, Melbourne is known to be diverse with most people identifying themselves as Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Buddhist, and Muslim. According to the 2016 census, 25.9% people identified themselves as Catholic, 3.6% as Muslim, 2.9% Buddhist, 2.9% Hindu, and 2.0% Jewish. On the other hand, 32.1% of respondents declared that they followed no religion. Melbourne houses over 5 million residents, who collectively speak over 200 languages, including Mandarin, Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese, and of course English. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest cricket ground in the world and the 10th largest stadium globally. It has a seating capacity of over 100,000.

Melbourne is governed by the Melbourne City Council, which is responsible for the city's municipal functions. The Lord Mayor of Melbourne is the head of the city council. The Melbourne City Council consists of the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor, and nine councillors, who are elected every four years by the residents of the city. The Victorian State Government has administrative control over certain public services and institutions that fall within the metropolitan area of Melbourne. These include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, and planning of major infrastructure projects.

Melbourne has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in finance, manufacturing, research, IT, education, logistics, transportation, and tourism. Melbourne houses the headquarters of many of Australia's largest corporations, including five of the ten largest in the country. The city has a GDP of over AUD 399 billion, which is about 20 percent of Australia's total GDP. The size of its economy is larger than that of several Asian nations. The Port of Melbourne handles around 85 million tons of cargo every year.

Melbourne’s infrastructure is a critical component of its liveability and economic productivity. Melbourne’s infrastructure includes its transport systems, green spaces, hospitals, schools, water, and energy utilities. The Victorian Government’s Infrastructure Plan 2050 identifies a range of infrastructure priorities for Melbourne, from new energy, water, and sewerage infrastructure, to enhanced digital connectivity, and new rail, road, and tram schemes. Some of the investment is provided by the private sector, through the privatised utilities. There is a growing concern about the lack of capacity in digital infrastructure. The take-up of high-speed broadband by business is low compared to other world cities, and there are areas in Melbourne where access to superfast broadband is limited.