South Australia

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South Australia

South Australia, state of south-central Australia. It occupies one of the driest, most barren parts of the continent, but its southern fringe consists of well-watered and fertile lands and is where most of the population is located. It is bounded by Western Australia to the west, the Northern Territory to the north, Queensland to the north and east, and New South Wales and Victoria to the east. To the south it fronts the Great Australian Bight, a marginal sea of the southern Indian Ocean (called the Southern Ocean in Australia). The capital is Adelaide, on the southern coast.

Occupying about one-eighth of Australia’s total land area, South Australia is fourth in size among the country’s eight states and territories. Its people make up less than 8 percent of the Australian population, ranking fifth among the populations of the states and territories.

The settled parts of South Australia form the western end of a crescent of closely settled and productive land in southeastern Australia that is the economic heartland of the country. The state’s commercial links are strongest with Melbourne and Sydney. Area 379,725 square miles (983,482 square km). Population (2021) 1,781,516.