The state of South Australia encompasses the most arid areas of the continent. But more than a fifth of the state’s land area is set aside as reserved land for conservation. And it has a wine region that has produced some of the more well-known Australian wines. The majority of the state’s population resides in its capital, Adelaide.
South Australia’s main industries are agriculture, manufacture and mining. Manufacturing has generated 15% of the state’s Gross State Product, and this includes automotive and component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, electronics and defence technology. The state is a primary exporter of wheat and wool. It also accounts for more than half of the entire nation’s wine production.
Adelaide
South Australia’s capital city of Adelaide adorns the eastern coast of Gulf St Vincent, close to the River Torrens. Founded in 1836, the city was named in honour of Queen Adelaide, the consort of King William IV. It is the state’s seat of government and its centre of commerce. It has a population of nearly 1.3 million, the largest in the state. The primary industries of Adelaide are manufacturing, defence technology and research, commodity export and their corresponding service industries.
Adelaide has a strong sporting tradition that attracts soccer, Australian football and rugby fans from all over the country. It is quite an inexpensive city to live in, compared to other Australian capitals. In 2008, The Economist ranked it as one of the world’s “most livable” cities, taking in such factors as per capita income, quality of healthcare and education and so forth. It is also a top pick for Mercer’s 2010 Quality of Living Survey for factors such as water quality, waste management and air pollution.
The city’s affluent communities are found in the coastal suburbs of Brighton and Gleneig, the eastern suburbs of Wattle Park, Kensington Gardens, and Medindie, and the southeastern suburbs of Waterfall Gully and Unley.