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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 984 377 km² (380 070 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's states and territories. It is bordered
to the west by Western Australian, 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 Southern Ocean. 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. Essentially a city-state, the majority of its people reside in the capital city 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. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836 when the state was proclaimed at The Old Gum Tree by Governor Hindmarsh. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a
theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by New Zealand. 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 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
History
History of South Australia
The first recorded European sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 when the Dutch ship the Gulden Zeepaert, skippered by Francois Thijssen, examined the coastline. Thijssen named his discovery "Pieter Nuyts Land", after the highest ranking individual on board. The coastline of
South Australia was first mapped by Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in 1802. Baudin referred to the land as "Terre Napoléon".
In 1834 the British Parliament passed the South Australia Colonisation Act 1834 which enabled a province of South Australia to be established. The Act stated that 802,511 square kilometres would be allotted to the colony and to be convict-free. The plan for the colony to be the ideal embodiment
of the best qualities of British society, that is, no religious discrimination or unemployment.
Settlement of nine 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 December 28, 1836, now known as Proclamation Day. South Australia is the only Australian state to be settled by free settlers.
Geography
The terrain consists largely of arid and semi-arid rangelands, with several low mountain ranges in which the most important mountains are the Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges system which extends north about 800 kilometres from Cape Jervis to the northern end of Lake Torrens and salt lakes. The western
portion of the state consists of the sparsely-inhabited Nullarbor Plain. The principal industries and export of South Australia are wheat, wine and wool. More than half of Australia's wines are produced here.
South Australia has boundaries with every other Australian state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania. The Northern Territory was originally the Northern Territory of South Australia, becoming a separate territory in 1911. South Australia's south coast is flanked
by the Southern Ocean. Its mean temperature range is 29°C in January and 15°C in July. Daily temperatures in parts of the state in January & February can be up to 48°C.
Highest maximum temperature: 50.7C (123.3F), Oodnadatta, 2 January 1960 (The highest official temperature recorded in the whole of Australia).
Lowest minimum temperature: -8.2C (17.2F), Yongala, 20 July 1976 [1]
Economy
Satellite image of eastern South Australia, note the dry lakes (white patches) in the north The manufacturing industry plays a very important role in South Australia's economy, generating 15% of the state's Gross State Product and playing a large part in exports. The manufacturing industry
consists of automotive and component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and defence technology. South Australia's economy relies on export more than any other state in Australia, which stands at AUD$10 billion worth per year, which grew by 8.8% from 2002 to 2003.
South Australia's economic growth has lagged behind the rest of Australia for some time (grew by 2.1% from 2002 to 2003), but performance seems to be improving (grew by 4.3% in 2003/2004). South Australia's credit rating was recently upgraded to AAA+, 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.
South Australia's economy is made of the following industries:
• Services - 66.7%
• Manufacturing - 14.2%
• Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing - 4.5%
• Mining - 2.2%
• Other - 10.7% |
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Education
Education is compulsory for all children until the age of 16, however, the majority of students stay on to complete their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). It is the responsibility of the South Australian government, but Adelaide's public and private education-systems are funded
jointly by it and the Commonwealth Government. The South Australian Government provides 89 percent of the total Government funding while the Commonwealth contributes 11 percent. 58 percent of Commonwealth funding goes to non-government schools, the theory being that the price of private education
will be reduced and accessible to a larger portion of the population, in practice this often hasn't been the case. The issue was raised in the 2004 Federal election but has died down in the meantime. |
| Wikipedia contributors (2006). South Australia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:01, April 10, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Australia&oldid=47755181. |
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