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[[File:Eastern South Australia Satellite Photo.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite image of eastern South Australia. Note the dry lakes (white patches) in the north]] |
[[File:Eastern South Australia Satellite Photo.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite image of eastern South Australia. Note the dry lakes (white patches) in the north]] |
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'''South Australia''' is a [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of {{convert|983482|km2|sqmi|0}}, it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories. |
'''South Australia''' is a [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of [[Australia]] in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of {{convert|983482|km2|sqmi|0}}, it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories. |
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South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland states and the [[Northern Territory]]. 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 (Australia)|Victoria]], and to the south by the [[Great Australian Bight]] and the [[ |
South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland states and the [[Northern Territory]]. 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 (Australia)|Victoria]], and to the south by the [[Great Australian Bight]] and the [[Indian Ocean]].<ref name="SouthernOcean">Most Australians describe the [[Australia and the Southern Ocean|body of water south of the continent]] as the Southern Ocean, rather than the Indian Ocean as officially defined by the [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO). In the year 2000, a vote of IHO member nations defined the term "Southern Ocean" as applying only to the waters between Antarctica and [[60th parallel south|60 degrees south]] latitude.</ref> With over 1.6 million people, the state comprises less than 8% 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 [[Murray River|River Murray]]. The state's origins are unique in Australia as a freely-settled, planned British province,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} rather than as a [[convictism in Australia|convict]] settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836, when the colony was proclaimed at [[The Old Gum Tree]] by Governor [[John Hindmarsh]]. |
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The first settlement to be established was [[Kingscote, South Australia|Kingscote]], [[Kangaroo Island]], in July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded.<ref name="Kangaroo Island">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kangarooisland.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm |title=Kangaroo Island Council – Welcome |publisher=[[Kangaroo Island Council]] |accessdate=10 August 2010}}</ref> 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]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} |
The first settlement to be established was [[Kingscote, South Australia|Kingscote]], [[Kangaroo Island]], in July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded.<ref name="Kangaroo Island">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kangarooisland.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm |title=Kangaroo Island Council – Welcome |publisher=[[Kangaroo Island Council]] |accessdate=10 August 2010}}</ref> 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]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} |
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Revision as of 19:53, 2 October 2010
30°0′S 135°0′E / 30.000°S 135.000°E Template:Fix bunching Template:Australia state or territory Template:Fix bunching
Template:Fix bunching 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; 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.
South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland states and the Northern Territory. It is bordered to the west byWestern 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 and the Indian Ocean.[1] With over 1.6 million people, the state comprises less than 8% 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 are unique in Australia as a freely-settled, planned British province,[citation needed] rather than as a convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836, when the colony was proclaimed at The Old Gum Tree by Governor John Hindmarsh.
The first settlement to be established was Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, in July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded.[2] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
History
Evidence for human activity in South Australia dates back as far as 20,000 years ago with flint mining activity and rock art in the Koonalda Cave on the Nullarbor Plain. In addition wooden spears and tools were made in an area now covered in peat bog in the South East. Kangaroo Island was inhabited long before the island was cut off by rising sea levels.[citation needed]
The first recorded European sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 when the Dutch ship the Gulden Zeepaert, captained by Francois Thijssen, examined the coastline. Thijssen named his discovery "Pieter Nuyts Land", after the highest ranking individual on board.[citation needed]
The coastline of South Australia was first mapped by Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in 1802.
The land which now forms the state of South Australia was claimed for Britain in 1788 as part of the colony of New South Wales. Although the new colony included almost two thirds of the continent, early settlements were all on the eastern coast and only a few intrepid explorers ventured this far west. It took more than forty years before any serious proposal to establish settlements in the south-western portion of New South Wales were put forward. In 1834, the British Parliament passed the South Australia Act 1834 (Foundation Act), which enabled the province of South Australia to be established. The act stated that 802,511 square kilometres (309,851 sq mi) would be allotted to the colony and it would be convict-free. In contrast to the rest of Australia, terra nullius did not apply to the new province. The Letters of Patent attached to the Act acknowledged Aboriginal ownership and stated that no actions could be undertaken that would affect the rights of any Aboriginal natives of the said province to the actual occupation and enjoyment in their own persons or in the persons of their descendants of any land therein now actually occupied or enjoyed by such natives. Although the patent guaranteed land rights under force of law for the indigenous inhabitants it was ignored by the South Australian Company authorities and squatters.[3]
Settlement of seven vessels and 636 people was temporarily made at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, until the official site of the colony was selected where Adelaide is currently located. The first immigrants arrived at Holdfast Bay (near the present day Glenelg) in November 1836, and the colony was proclaimed on 28 December 1836, now known as Proclamation Day. South Australia is the only Australian state to be settled entirely by free settlers.[citation needed]
The plan for the colony was that it would be the ideal embodiment of the best qualities of British society, that is, no religious discrimination or unemployment and, as it was believed that this would also result in very little crime, no provision was made for a gaol. In early 1838 the colonists became concerned after it was reported that convicts who had escaped from the eastern states may make their way to South Australia. The South Australia Police was formed later that year to protect the community and enforce government regulations and the first gaol, a two roomed hut, was opened on 1 January 1839.[4]
The current flag of South Australia was adopted on 13 January 1904, and is a British blue ensign defaced with the state badge. The badge is described as a Piping Shrike with wings outstretched on a yellow disc. The state badge is believed to have been designed by Robert Craig of the Adelaide School of Arts.
South Australia granted restricted women's suffrage in 1861, and in 1894 became the second place in the world to grant universal suffrage (after New Zealand) where women had the dual rights to vote and to stand for election.[5]
Geography
The terrain consists largely of arid and semi-arid rangelands, with several low mountain ranges. The most important (but not tallest) is the Mount Lofty-Flinders Ranges system, which extends north about 800 kilometres (497 mi) from Cape Jervis to the northern end of Lake Torrens. The highest point in the state is not in those ranges; Mount Woodroffe (1,435 metres (4,708 ft)) is in the Musgrave Ranges in the extreme northwest of the state.[6] The south-western portion of the state consists of the sparsely-inhabited Nullarbor Plain, fronted by the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight. Features of the coast include Spencer Gulf and the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas that surround it.
The principal industries and exports of South Australia are wheat, wine and wool.[citation needed] More than half of Australia's wines are produced in the South Australian wine regions which include: Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills, Riverland and a number of others – see South Australian wine.
South Australia has boundaries with every other Australian state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania. The area now known as the Northern Territory was annexed to South Australia in 1863, however it was handed over to the federal government in 1911 and became a separate territory. South Australia's south coast is flanked by the Southern Ocean.
Climate
The southern part of the state has a Mediterranean climate.[7] South Australia's main temperature range is 29 °C (84 °F) in January and 15 °C (59 °F) in July. Daily temperatures in parts of the state in January and February can be up to 48 °C (118 °F).
The highest maximum temperature was recorded as 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) at Oodnadatta on 2 January 1960, which is also the highest official temperature recorded in Australia. The lowest minimum temperature was −8.0 °C (17.6 °F) at Yongala on 20 July 1976.[8]
Economy
The manufacturing industry plays a very important role in South Australia's economy, generating 15% of the state's Gross State Product (GSP) and playing a large part in exports. The manufacturing industry consists of automotive (44% of total Australian production, 2006) and component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, defence technology (2.1% of GSP, 2002–03) and electronic systems (3.0% of GSP in 2006). South Australia's economy relies on exports more than any other state in Australia.[citation needed]
Export earnings stand at AUD$10 billion worth per year[when?][citation needed] and grew by 8.8% from 2002 to 2003.
Production of South Australian food and drink (including agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, fisheries and manufacturing) is a $10 billion industry.[when?][citation needed]
South Australia's economic growth has lagged behind the rest of Australia for some time[when?] (2.1% from 2002 to 2003), but performance seems to be improving.[when?] South Australia's credit rating was upgraded to AAA+,[when?] having lost it in the State Bank collapse. South Australia's Gross State Product was AUD$48.9 billion starting 2004, making it AUD$32,996 per capita. Exports for 2006 were valued at $9.0bn with imports at $6.2bn. Private Residential Building Approvals experienced 80% growth over the year of 2006.[citation needed]
South Australia's economy includes the following major industries: meat and meat preparations, wheat, wine, wool and sheepskins, machinery, metal and metal manufactures, fish and crustaceans, road vehicles and parts, and petroleum products. Other industries, such as education and defence technology, are of growing importance.[when?][citation needed]
South Australia receives the least amount of federal funding for its local road network of all states on a per capita and a per kilometre basis.[9]
Olympic Dam
South Australia possesses the world's single largest known deposit of uranium, at the Olympic Dam mine. Olympic Dam contains 40% of the world's known uranium reserves. The Olympic Dam mine is also the world's fourth-largest remaining copper deposit, and the world's fifth largest gold deposit.[citation needed]
Government
| Composition of the Parliament of South Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Political Party |
House of Assembly |
Legislative Council |
| ALP | 26 | 8 |
| Liberal | 18 | 7 |
| Family First | 0 | 2 |
| No Pokies | 0 | 2 |
| Greens SA | 0 | 2 |
| D4D | 0 | 1 |
| Independent | 3 | 0 |
| Source: Electoral Commission SA | ||
South Australia is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of Australia as Sovereign, and the Governor of South Australia as her representative.[10] It is a state of the Commonwealth of Australia. Its bicameral parliament consists of a House of Assembly (lower house) and a Legislative Council (upper house), with legislative elections held every four years. The current Premier of South Australia is Mike Rann, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
Initially, the Governor of South Australia held almost total power, derived from the Letters Patent of the Imperial Government to create the colony. He was only accountable to the British Colonial Office, and thus democracy did not exist in the colony. A new body was created to advise the governor on the administration of South Australia in 1843 called the Legislative Council.[11] It consisted of three representatives of the British Government and four colonists appointed by the governor. The governor retained total executive power.
In 1851, the Imperial Parliament enacted the Australian Colonies Government Act which allowed for the election of representatives to each of the colonial legislatures and the drafting of a Constitution to properly create representative and responsible Government in South Australia. Later that year, wealthy male colonists were allowed to vote for 16 members on a new 24 seat Legislative Council. Eight members continued to be appointed by the governor.
The main responsibility of this body was to draft a Constitution for South Australia. The body drafted the most democratic constitution ever seen in the British Empire and provided for manhood suffrage. It created the bicameral Parliament of South Australia. For the first time in the colony, the executive was elected by the people and the colony used the Westminster system, where the government is the party or coalition that exerts a majority in the House of Assembly. In 1894, South Australia was the first Australian colony to allow women to vote and it had the first Parliament in the world to allow women to be elected as members. Catherine Helen Spence was the first woman in Australia to be a candidate for political office when she nominated to be one of South Australia's delegates to the constitutional conventions that drafted the Constitution. South Australia became an original state of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901.
Demographics
Population
A majority of the state's population lives within Adelaide's metropolitan area which had an estimated population of 1,158,259 in 2007 (70.3% of the state). Other significant population centres include Mount Barker (approx. 29 149), Mount Gambier (approx. 23,494), Whyalla (21,122), Murray Bridge (18,364), Port Augusta (13,257), Port Pirie (13,206), Port Lincoln (13,044), and Victor Harbor (10,380).[12]
Education
On 1 January 2009, the school leaving age was raised to 17 (having previously been 15 and then 16).[13] Education is compulsory for all children until age 17, unless they are working or undergoing other training. The majority of students stay on to complete their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). School education is the responsibility of the South Australian government, but the public and private education systems are funded jointly by it and the Commonwealth Government.
The South Australian Government provides, to schools on a per student basis, 89 percent of the total Government funding while the Commonwealth contributes 11 percent. Since the early 1970s it has been an ongoing controversy[14] that 68 percent of Commonwealth funding (increasing to 75% by 2008) goes to private schools that are attended by 32% of the states students.[15] Private schools often refute this by saying that they receive less State Government funding than public schools and in 2004 the main private school funding came from the Australian government, not the state government.[16]
There are three public and two private universities in South Australia. The University of Adelaide (established 1874), The Flinders University of South Australia (est. 1966), and The University of South Australia (est. 1991) are the public universities. All three have their main campuses in the Adelaide metropolitan area (UofA and UniSA on North Terrace in the city, Flinders at Bedford Park), but also have other campuses distributed around the metropolitan area, around the state, and the University of Adelaide also has a campus in Singapore. Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School and "Entertainment Technology Center", and Cranfield University, also have campuses in Adelaide.[17]
Metropolitan campuses include: The Waite at Urrbrae, Research Park at Thebarton, The National Wine Centre in the Adelaide Park Lands, Magill, Mawson Lakes and Parafield.
Rural and regional campuses include: The Flinders University Rural Clinical Schools at Mount Gambier, Goolwa and Renmark, The Lincoln Marine Science Centre at Port Lincoln, Roseworthy College near Roseworthy, and UniSA campuses in Mount Gambier and Whyalla.[18][19][20]
Tertiary vocational education is provided by TAFE South Australia colleges throughout the state.
Sport
Australian rules football
Australian rules football is the most popular spectator sport in South Australia, with South Australians having the highest attendance rate in Australia.[21] The state also has the highest participation rate of people taking part in Australian rules football, with over 2.2% of the population aged 18 years and over participating in the sport.[22]
South Australia fields two teams in the Australian Football League national competition: the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power. In 2006, The Adelaide Crows had a membership base of 50,000,[23] higher than any of the other 15 teams in the competition.
The South Australian National Football League, which owns the dedicated Australian Football stadium AAMI Stadium, is a popular local league comprising nine teams.
The South Australian Amateur Football League comprises sixty-eight member clubs playing over one hundred and ten matches per week across ten Senior divisions and three Junior Divisions. The SAAFL is one of Australia's largest and strongest Australian rules football associations.[24]
Cricket
Cricket is the most popular summer sport in South Australia and attracts big crowds. South Australia has a cricket team, the Southern Redbacks, who play at Adelaide Oval in the Adelaide Park Lands during the summer; however they have not won a title since 1996. The Redbacks currently have three players who hold a contract with Cricket Australia. Many international matches have been played at the Adelaide Oval. It was one of the host cities of 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Association Football (Soccer)
South Australia's Association Football (soccer) team in the A-League is Adelaide United F.C. The club's home ground is Hindmarsh Stadium.
The club was founded in 2003 and was premier in the inaugural 2005–06 A-League season, finishing 7 points clear of the rest of the competition, before finishing 3rd in the finals. Adelaide United was also a Grand Finalist in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons. Adelaide has the best winning record of all clubs in the A-League; Adelaide is the only A-League club to be present at the Asian Champions League more than once, making it the most successful Australian club in Asia.
Basketball
Basketball also has a big following in South Australia, with the Adelaide 36ers playing out of an 8,070 seat stadium in Findon. The 36ers have won four championships in the last 20 years in the National Basketball League (Australia).
Motor sport
Australia’s premier motor sport series, the V8 Supercar Championship Series, has visited South Australia each year since its inception in 1999. South Australia’s V8 Supercar event, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, is staged on the Adelaide Street Circuit, a temporary track laid out through the streets and parklands to the east of the Adelaide CBD. Attendance for the 2010 event totalled 277,800.[25] An earlier version of the Adelaide Street Circuit played host to the Australian Grand Prix, a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, each year from 1985 to 1995.
Mallala Motor Sport Park, a permanent circuit located near the town of Mallala, 58 km north of Adelaide, caters for both state and national level motor sport throughout the year.
Other sports
Fifty-nine percent of South Australian children take part in organised sports. For boys, soccer has the highest participation rate (22%), followed by swimming (16%). For girls netball is most popular (18%), also followed by swimming (16%).[26]
Notable places
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Regions:
Rivers: |
Lakes: Islands: |
Main highways: |
See also
- Adelaide
- Country Fire Service
- Proclamation Day: 28 December 1836
- South Australian Ambulance Service
- South Australian English
Food and drink:
Lists:
- List of cities and towns in South Australia
- List of highways in South Australia
- List of people from Adelaide
- Local Government Areas of South Australia
- List of films shot in Adelaide
References
- Dorothy Jauncey, Bardi Grubs and Frog Cakes — South Australian Words, Oxford University Press (2004) ISBN 0-19-551770-9
Footnotes
- ^ Most Australians describe the body of water south of the continent as the Southern Ocean, rather than the Indian Ocean as officially defined by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). In the year 2000, a vote of IHO member nations defined the term "Southern Ocean" as applying only to the waters between Antarctica and 60 degrees south latitude.
- ^ "Kangaroo Island Council – Welcome". Kangaroo Island Council. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
- ^ Ngadjuri Walpa Juri Lands and Heritage Association (Undated). Gnadjuri. SASOSE Council Inc. ISBN 0 646 42821 7.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help) - ^ History of Adelaide Gaol
- ^ Women and Politics in South Australia The State Library of South Australia
- ^ "Highest Mountains". Geoscience Australia. Archived from the original on 21 April 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
- ^ "Climate and Weather". Government of South Australia. Atlas South Australia. 28 April 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
- ^ "Rainfall and Temperature Records: National" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
- ^ "Inquiry into Local Government and Cost Shifting" (PDF). Australian House of Representatives. 2003. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ^ "R v Governor of South Australia (1907) HCA 31; (1907) 4 CLR 1497 (8 August 1907)". Australasian Legal Information Institute. 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
- ^ "Legislative Council 1843–1856". Parliament of South Australia. 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
- ^ "Estimated Resident Population, SA". ABS. 31 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
- ^ Owen, Michael (22 May 2006). "School leaving age to be raised". The Advertiser. News Corp. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
- ^ "The Redefinition of Public Education". Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ "Chapter 2: Resourcing Australia's schools". Ministerial Council National Report on Schooling in Australia.
- ^ Bill Daniels (12 April 2004). "Government funding should encourage private schools not penalise them". Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "Welcome to ETC: Australia". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
- ^ "Regional and interstate locations". Flinders University. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- ^ "Campuses and maps". University of Adelaide. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- ^ "Campuses and maps". University of South Australia. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ 4174.0 Sports Attendance, Australia, 2005–06, 25 Jan 2007, Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
- ^ source AuSport 2000 [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "50,000 milestone coming closer" (Press release). Adelaide Crows. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2006.
- ^ South Australian Amateur Football League. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
- ^ Early March the only date for Clipsal 500 Retrieved from www.speedcafe.com.au/ on 3 May 2010
- ^ Children's Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
External links
- South Australia Central
- Official Insignia And Emblems Page
- South Australian Tourism Commission – Travel Guides, Accommodation, Tours, Online Booking, Maps etc
- South Australia's Climate Change Strategy (2007)
- The Encyclopædia of South Australian Culture Locals reflect on South Australian culture.
- Ground Truth – towards an Environmental History of South Australia Community resources
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