 South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent and with a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory and Queensland, to the east by Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and along the south by the Great Australian Bight and the Indian Ocean.[1] With 1.5 million people, the state comprises less than 10 per cent of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the states and territories. The majority of its people reside in the state capital, Adelaide, with most of the remainder settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray.
The state's origins were unique in Australia as a freely-settled, planned British province rather than a convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836 when the state was proclaimed at The Old Gum Tree by Governor Hindmarsh. The first city/town to be established, was Kingscote, Kangaroo Island established in 1836. 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. The aim was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history is marked by economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, the state is known as a state of festivals, and of fine wine. The state's economy centres on the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries and has an increasingly significant finance sector as well. In South Australia, we've earned a reputation for enjoying the finer things in life. And we'd like nothing more than to share a taste of the good life with you. 
Adelaide, our capital city, is renowned across Australia as being a festival city. Our love of the arts goes hand in hand with having a good time. So, don't be surprised if you spend as much time shopping or at a day spa as you do admiring a dance company in action, or watching a Verdi opera. This brilliant blend of culture and lifestyle stretches across South Australia. It's why you'll find local art on the walls of an Outback pub. It's why you'll see landscape paintings by masters such as Sir Hans Heysen in village museums, and then look out a window and see the very same landscape. Because to us, the good life matters. |
