Games facts
Nearly a third of the world's population lives in Commonwealth countries.
Commonwealth nations include some of the largest in the world (such as India, with more than a billion people) and some of the smallest (such as Niue in the South Pacific and Montserrat in the Caribbean).
About 4,500 athletes from 71 nations will compete in 16 sports.
The Commonwealth Games grew out of the British Empire Games, which were first held in Canada in 1930.
Fourteen of the 16 sports will be staged at venues within 3km of the city centre.
The athletes' village will accommodate 6,000 people. Its main dining hall will produce 20,000 meals a day.
Melbourne is famous for its trams, with the fourth-largest tramway system in the world.
The state of Victoria has a population of about five million people who speak a total of 170 languages.
One in four Victorians was born overseas.
About 15,000 volunteers have been recruited to help make the games run smoothly.
