Katana VentraIP

South Australia

South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi),[6] it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, and second smallest state by population. It has a total of 1.8 million people.[3] Its population is the second most highly centralised in Australia, after Western Australia, with more than 77 percent of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide, or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second-largest centre, has a population of 26,878.[7]

For the southern region of Australia, see Southern Australia. For other uses, see South Australia (disambiguation).

South Australia

15 August 1834

19 February 1836

22 April 1857

1 January 1901

  • South Australian
  • Croweater (colloquial)[1]
  • South Aussie

12 senators (of 76)

10 seats (of 151)

984,321[2] km2 (380,048 sq mi)

1,435 m (4,708 ft)

−16 m (−52 ft)

1,815,485[3] (5th)

1.84/km2 (4.8/sq mi) (6th)

2020 estimate

AU$108.334 billion[4] (5th)

AU$61,582 (7th)

Increase 0.939[5]
very high · 7th

Leafy seadragon
(Phycodurus eques)

Sturt's Desert Pea
(Swainsona formosa)

Southern hairy-nosed wombat
(Lasiorhinus latifrons)

Red, blue, and gold

Bornite, Opal as Gem

South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland states. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales, to the south-east by Victoria, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight.[8] The state comprises less than 8 percent of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the six states and two territories. The majority of its people reside in greater Metropolitan Adelaide. Most of the remainder are settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province,[9] rather than as a convict settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the Old Gum Tree.[10]


As with the rest of the continent, the region has a long history of human occupation by numerous tribes and languages. The South Australian Company established a temporary settlement at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded.[11] The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by the New Zealand Company.[12] The goal was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history has been marked by periods of economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, it is known for its fine wine and numerous cultural festivals. The state's economy is dominated by the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries.

Arid land in the Flinders Ranges

Arid land in the Flinders Ranges

The rugged coastline of Second Valley, located on the Fleurieu Peninsula

The rugged coastline of Second Valley, located on the Fleurieu Peninsula

The east end of : SA Pathology;[50] Hanson Institute;[51] National Wine Centre.

North Terrace

The west end of North Terrace: (SAHMRI), located next to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute

The : SARDI Head Office and Plant Research Centre; AWRI;[52] ACPFG;[53] CSIRO research laboratories.[54] SARDI also has establishments at Glenside[55] and West Beach.[56]

Waite Research Precinct

: DSTO; BAE Systems (Australia); Lockheed Martin Australia Electronic Systems.

Edinburgh, South Australia

(Mawson Lakes): BAE Systems; Optus; Raytheon; Topcon; Lockheed Martin Australia Electronic Systems.

Technology Park

Research Park at : businesses involved in materials engineering, biotechnology, environmental services, information technology, industrial design, laser/optics technology, health products, engineering services, radar systems, telecommunications and petroleum services.

Thebarton

Science Park (adjacent to Flinders University): Playford Capital.

The Institute for Translational Health Research[57] in Woodville the research arm of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide

Basil Hetzel

The , a global research collaboration for evidence-based healthcare with its headquarters in North Adelaide.

Joanna Briggs Institute

Australia

Outline of Australia

Index of Australia-related articles

Adelaide

Country Fire Service

: 28 December 1836

Proclamation Day

South Australian Ambulance Service

South Australian English

Symbols of South Australia

Media related to South Australia at Wikimedia Commons

South Australia travel guide from Wikivoyage

Geographic data related to at OpenStreetMap

South Australia

sa.gov.au

Official Insignia and Emblems Page

South Australia's greenhouse (climate change) strategy (2007–2020)

. Archived 7 October 2001 at the Wayback Machine.

Ground Truth – towards an Environmental History of South Australia