  A timely combination of new theoretical ideas and observational discoveries
has brought about significant advances in our understanding of cosmic
evolution. Computer simulations have played a key role in these developments by
providing the means to interpret astronomical data in the context of physical
and cosmological theory. In the current paradigm, our Universe has a flat
geometry, is undergoing accelerated expansion and is gravitationaly dominated
by elementary particles that make up cold dark matter. Within this framework,
it is possible to simulate in a computer the emergence of galaxies and other
structures from small quantum fluctuations imprinted during an epoch of
inflationary expansion shortly after the Big Bang. The simulations must take
into account the evolution of the dark matter as well as the gaseous processes
involved in the formation of stars and other visible components. Although many
unresolved questions remain, a coherent picture for the formation of cosmic
structure in now beginning to emerge. In this paper, I review a selection of
recent results obtained from simulations of the cosmic large-scale structure
and galaxy formation and compare them with observational data, including
results from the ``2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey.''
