Map of South Australia
South Australia is a first-level division of Australia. Its largest mapped city is Adelaide, with about 1.15 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on South Australia, and the tables list its 25 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 25
- Largest City
- Adelaide
- Country
- Australia
- Highest Point Mapped
- 1,171 m
Interactive Map of South Australia
About South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of 984,314 square kilometres (380,046 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most arid parts of the continent. It is the 17th-largest subdivision in the world and the fifth-largest in Australasia. It is the second-most highly centralised state in the nation after Western Australia, with more than 67% of the 1.9 million South Australians living in the capital Adelaide or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier is the second-largest centre, with a population of 26,878.
South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland states. 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, and to the south-east by Victoria. To the south, its border is the ocean, the Great Australian Bight.
The state comprises less than 6.7% 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 River Murray. The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province, rather than as a convict settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the Old Gum Tree.
As with the rest of the continent, the region has a long history of human occupation by numerous groups and languages. The South Australian Company established a temporary settlement at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: South Australia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Australia in Depth
History
Evidence of human activity in South Australia dates back as far as 20,000 years, 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. According to mitochondrial DNA research, Aboriginal people reached Eyre Peninsula 49,000-45,000 years ago from both the east (clockwise, along the coast, from northern Australia) and the west (anti-clockwise).
The first recorded European sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 when the Dutch ship the Gulden Zeepaert, captained by François Thijssen, examined and mapped a section of the coastline as far east as the Nuyts Archipelago.
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 (500 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.
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 Temperate Grassland of South Australia is situated to the east of Gulf St Vincent.
Economy
As of 2016, South Australia had 746,105 people employed out of a total workforce of 806,593, giving an unemployment rate of 7.5%. South Australia's largest employment sector is health care and social assistance, making up 14.8% of the state's total employment, followed by retail (10.7%), education and training (8.6%), manufacturing (8%), and construction (7.6%). South Australia's economy relies on exports more than any other state in Australia.
South Australia's credit rating was upgraded to AAA by Standard & Poor's in September 2004 and to AAA by Moody's in November 2004, the highest credit ratings achievable by any company or sovereign. The state had previously lost these ratings in the State Bank collapse.
Demographics
1,333,927 in June 2017. Other significant population centres include Mount Gambier (29,505), Victor Harbor-Goolwa (26,334), Whyalla (21,976), Murray Bridge (18,452), Port Lincoln (16,281), Port Pirie (14,267), and Port Augusta (13,957).
28.9% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from England (5.8%), India (1.6%), China (1.5%), Italy (1.1%) and Vietnam (0.9%).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: South Australia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
History of South Australia: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of South Australia, from British Colonial Empire in 1846 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1846–1904 CE |
| The British Empire | 1846–1904 CE |
| Commonwealth of Australia | 1905–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of South Australia
South Australia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting South Australia
South Australia has much to offer in terms of city life and culture in Adelaide, with world-class wine and other produce, friendly people, unspoilt environment and a very relaxed pace of life. Its famed vineyards are a short drive from the city, and there are spectacular nature and Aboriginal cultural experiences further out. South Australia is also home to Kangaroo Island, an internationally renowned wildlife haven. South Australia has remained culturally vibrant throughout its history and is known for its festivals.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: South Australia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in South Australia
25 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 1.15 million | South Australia | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Mount Gambier | 23,209 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 3 | Whyalla | 22,559 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 4 | Murray Bridge | 18,194 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 5 | Gawler | 16,362 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 6 | Port Augusta | 13,897 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 7 | Port Lincoln | 13,630 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 8 | Port Pirie | 12,506 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 9 | Victor Harbor | 7,760 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 10 | Berri | 4,716 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 11 | Clare | 3,061 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 12 | Wallaroo | 2,779 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 13 | Bordertown | 2,583 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 14 | Tumby Bay | 1,791 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 15 | Peterborough | 1,689 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 16 | Ceduna | 1,586 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 17 | Penola | 1,514 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 18 | Meningie | 1,501 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 19 | Streaky Bay | 1,060 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 20 | Kimba | 636 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 21 | Cowell | 537 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 22 | Andamooka | 528 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 23 | Woomera | 450 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 24 | Kingston South East | 206 | South Australia | Populated place |
| 25 | Kingoonya | 50 | South Australia | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in South Australia
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Mary Peak | 1,171 m | 3,842 ft | Oceania |
Largest Lakes in South Australia
3 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Torrens | 5,158 km² | Alkaline Lake |
| 2 | Lake Gairdner | 4,241 km² | Alkaline Lake |
| 3 | Lake Everard | 1,267 km² | Alkaline Lake |
Ports in South Australia
10 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingscote | 53 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Klein Point | 45.7 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 3 | Ardrossan | 42.1 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 4 | Wallaroo | 42.1 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 5 | Thevenard | 42.1 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 6 | Whyalla | 38.4 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 7 | Port Pirie | 38.4 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 8 | Port Bonython | 34.7 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 9 | Port Giles | 31.1 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 10 | Port Adelaide | 27.4 m | Minor | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
South Australia: Quick Answers
- Where is South Australia?
- South Australia is a first-level division of Australia, in Oceania. Its mapped cities centre on 34.0541° S, 137.9267° E.
- What is the largest city in South Australia?
- Adelaide is the largest city mapped in South Australia, with a metropolitan population of about 1.15 million.
- How many cities are in South Australia?
- YearMaps maps 25 cities and towns in South Australia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 1.30 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in South Australia?
- The highest summit mapped in South Australia is Saint Mary Peak at 1,171 m.
- What is the largest lake in South Australia?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside South Australia is Lake Torrens, at about 5,158 km².