MALLEE

region of northwestern Victoria, Australia. It occupies about 16,000 square miles (41,000 square km) between the Wimmera and Murray rivers, and its climate is semiarid, with only 1012 inches (250300 mm) of rainfall annually. A narrow belt of irrigated land supports vineyards, citrus orchards, wheat fields, and dairy and sheep farming, but intensive irrigation has increased salinity and soil degradation. The name Mallee is said to be derived from an Aboriginal term denoting species of eucalyptus. The region's chief settlement is Mildura (q.v.).