Queensland has a subtropical climate with warm, mild winters and hot, bright summers and is usually only subject to humidity at the start of each calendar year.
Some of its climatic features:

• Average summer daily temperature range: 21–34°C
• Average winter daily temperature range: 14–21°C
• Average of 287 days of sunshine per year

Queensland was originally a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales in 1859. What is now Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place to hold convicts who re-offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales.

• North The northernmost part of the state is the triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea. The western side of the peninsula is washed by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while its eastern side borders the Coral Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.
• East The eastern border is the Pacific Ocean
• West To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138° E. longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.
• South by New South Wales. This border has three sections
  • The watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River
  • The river section involving the Dumaresq, the Macintyre and the Barwon
  • The 29° S. latitude, over to the South Australian border.
  • The State capital Brisbane, is located on the coast 100 km by road north of the New South Wales border.
  • The largest city by area in the world, Mount Isa, is located in Queensland. The city area is in excess of 40,000 km².

o the Atherton Tableland
o the Bunya Mountains
o Carnarvon Gorge
o the Darling Downs
o Whitsunday Islands
o Hinchinbrook Island
o the Gold Coast having some the state's best beaches
o the Great Dividing Range
o Further afield is the Channel Country in the far south-west.

o Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country
o Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves
o Fraser Island
o Great Barrier Reef
o Wet Tropics of Queensland

Queensland's population is less centralized in the capital city than the rest of the country. At 30 June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Christian: 77% (Anglican: 24.6%, Catholic: 26.2%, Lutheran: 2.2%, Uniting Church: 10.8%, Other: 13.4%), Non-Christian: 9.9% (Buddhism: 0.2%, Hinduism: 0.1%, Judaism: 0.2%, Other: 0.4%), No Religion: 14.9%, Not Stated: 6.9%

In 2001, Queensland had a Gross Domestic Product of A$115.53 billion, A$31,000 per capita. Based on exchange rates (2005) this equals US$23,490, the third-lowest in Australia after Tasmania and South Australia. In 2003 Brisbane city had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce: bauxite from Weipa is converted to alumina at Gladstone. There are also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

Queen Elizabeth II is represented as head of state by the locally appointed Governor, Ms Quentin Bryce, AC. The elected head of government is the Labor Premier, the Hon Peter Beattie, who appoints an Executive Council from the members of the 89-seat Legislative Assembly, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
The Queensland State Parliament, known as the Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad," so called because they took the unusual step of voting to abolish their own offices.

In 2001 the state adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted acts that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the independent colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

Day-to-day law enforcement is the responsibility of the Queensland Police Service, and the Australian Federal Police also have jurisdiction in federal matters.
Queensland does not have separate Local Government district based Police forces, nor a metropolitan force.
Some (Quasi-)Police powers are exercised by Local Government Officers (especially Parking, Public Health & Safety) and by some Government and NGO officers such as those from the Department of Primary Industries (especially Fisheries) and the Queensland Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

• Bond University
• Central Queensland University
• Griffith University
• James Cook University
• Queensland University of Technology
• University of Queensland
• University of Southern Queensland
• University of the Sunshine Coast

The Gold Coast is situated in the southeast corner of Queensland, stretching from the south end of Logan City to the border with New South Wales. The southernmost town is Coolangatta which includes Point Danger and its lighthouse, and it is twin cities with Tweed Heads across the border. At Latitude 28.1667 degrees south, Longitude 153.55 degrees east, this is the most easterly point on the Queensland mainland (Point Lookout on the offshore island of North Stradbroke is slightly further east).

From Coolangatta, about 40 km of holiday resorts and surfing beaches stretch north as far as the towns of Southport and Surfers Paradise, which together form the Gold Coast's commercial centre (latitude about 27.7 degrees south). The administrative area of the Gold Coast City Council continues north up to Beenleigh.

The major river in the area is the Nerang River. Much of the land between the coastal strip and the hinterland was once wetlands drained by this river, but the swamps have been converted into man made waterways (over 260 km , or over 9 times that of Venice, Italy) and artificial islands are covered in palatial homes. The highly developed coastal strip sits on a narrow barrier sandbar between these waterways and the sea.

Other towns and suburbs on the Gold Coast:

• Broadbeach
• Burleigh Heads
• Currumbin
• Coomera
• Main Beach
• Mermaid Waters
• Miami, Queensland
• Mudgeeraba
• Nerang
• Nobby's
• Palm Beach
• Parkwood
• Robina
• Southport
• Surfers Paradise

Indigenous Australians knew the Gold Coast Area as "Kurrungul". The term referred to the endless supply of hardwood for boomerangs. The local tribe was the Kom-bumerris, and they camped mainly in the Bundall area where fresh water was abundant. Cascade Gardens is said to have been one of the meeting places for Aboriginal people from as far a field as Maryborough. Tribal feasts were held at Bora rings and middens. Captain Cook, in a voyage funded by the English monarch George III, passed this coast in 1770 and named Point Danger and Mount Warning.

A government surveyor named Dixon charted the Gold Coast region in 1840. He named many of the landmarks after senior naval officers (as was the custom at the time). Since then, the Surveyor General, Sir Thomas Mitchell, changed many of the names to Aboriginal names. Examples of these changes include:

• The River Barrow became the Nerang River.
• The River Perry became Tallebudgera Creek.
• Anson Creek became Currumbin Creek.
• The River Arrowsmith became the Coomera River.

The beach at Broadbeach named Kurrawa is aboriginal for "deep blue sea".

A number of National Parks are in the hinterland, close to the Gold Coast:

• Lamington National Park
• Springbrook National Park
• Tamborine National Park

A number of theme parks are located near the Gold Coast:

• Dreamworld
• Sea World
• Wet n Wild
• Movieworld

The local newspaper is The Gold Coast Bulletin part of the News Corporation group.

The Gold Coast is unique in that it is officially in the license area of both the metro Brisbane area and the Northern New South Wales markets. Broadcasts from nine free-to-air stations are available, but as the hinterland is hilly there are 'blind spots' that mean not all stations may be available in all areas.

• Metro networks Seven, Nine and Ten, from the Brisbane license area
• Regional affiliates Prime Television, NBN Television and Southern Cross Ten, from the Northern New South Wales license area
• Queensland ABC television service
• SBS
• Foxtel (via cable) and Austar (via satellite) subscription television services

FM stations include:
• 88 BeachFM (tourist info., Top 40)
• 89.3 4CRB-FM (Christian)
• 90.9 SEAFM (Top 40, pop)
• 91.7 Coast FM (contemporary, ABC local news and information)
• 92.5 Gold 92.5 (mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, and Top 40)
• 93.5 SBS (Brisbane)
• 94.1 Radio Hope Island (jazz and swing music)
• 97.7 4JJJ Triple J (alternative and chart music)
• 102.9 Hot Tomato (Top 40, pop)
• 104 4MBS Classic
• 105.7 Radio Metro (dance, pop, R&B, and leftfield)
• 106 ABC Classic

AM stations include:
• 882 4BH (Brisbane)

The Gold Coast has a subtropical climate with warm, mild winters and hot, bright summers. The Gold Coast is subject to humidity, mainly at the start of each calendar year.
Some of its climatic features:
• Average summer daily temperature range: 19–29°C
• Average winter daily temperature range: 9–21°C
• Average of 287 days of sunshine per year