South Australia

South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a <a href="/facts/States_and_territories_of_Australia/kUd6AV5c">state</a> in the southern central part of <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a>. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most <a href="/facts/Arid/BHJj0qJ3">arid</a> parts of the continent, and with 1.8 million people, it is the fifth-largest of the states and territories by population. This population is the second-most highly centralised in the nation after <a href="/facts/Western_Australia/1ouCbwNh">Western Australia</a>, with more than 77% of South Australians living in the capital <a href="/facts/Adelaide/H2Ilhpbt">Adelaide</a> or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; <a href="/facts/Mount_Gambier/3331er0z">Mount Gambier</a>, the second-largest centre, has a population of 26,878.
South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland states. It is bordered to the west by <a href="/facts/Western_Australia/1ouCbwNh">Western Australia</a>, to the north by the <a href="/facts/Northern_Territory/5BFWuuyv">Northern Territory</a>, to the north-east by <a href="/facts/Queensland/lXBlIeY3">Queensland</a>, to the east by <a href="/facts/New_South_Wales/aW7eJXSS">New South Wales</a>, to the south-east by <a href="/facts/Victoria_(state)/76P2nqtz">Victoria</a>, and to the south by the <a href="/facts/Great_Australian_Bight/b6jmjxI8">Great Australian Bight</a>. The state comprises less than 8% 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 <a href="/facts/Murray_River/loNWl5TP">River Murray</a>. The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as <a href="/facts/British_Province_of_South_Australia/IpmtSLYp">a freely settled, planned British province</a>, rather than as a <a href="/facts/Convictism_in_Australia/qy6gdGrw">convict</a> settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the <a href="/facts/Old_Gum_Tree/MFXbafuK">Old Gum Tree</a>.
As with the rest of the continent, the region has a long history of <a href="/facts/Aboriginal_Australians/DNAQ5z5m">human occupation</a> by numerous tribes and languages. The <a href="/facts/South_Australian_Company/y82tCJhg">South Australian Company</a> established a temporary settlement at <a href="/facts/Kingscote%2c_South_Australia/vHTwYEv3">Kingscote</a>, <a href="/facts/Kangaroo_Island/YPHk4M2H">Kangaroo Island</a>, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a theory espoused by <a href="/facts/Edward_Gibbon_Wakefield/rbHsKl8o">Edward Gibbon Wakefield</a> that was later employed by the <a href="/facts/New_Zealand_Company/7E6DLDtM">New Zealand Company</a>. 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.

South Australia open-in-new

South Australia