South Australia (SA),
(The Festival State) – unofficial name
Area of State is 983,482 km²,
Capital - Adelaide
Population of Adelaide 1,110,547
Governor of South Australia: His exellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR
Premier of South Australia: Mike Rann
Ministers of South Australia
SA State Emblems:
Floral: Sturt's Desert Pea
Animal: Hairy-Nosed Wombat
Faunal: Piping Shrike (unofficial)
Marine: Leafy Sea-dragon
SA Unemployment Rate (2005): 5.0%
Average Weekly Earnings for Employees (2008): $ $1047
SA Regions:
Adelaide
Barossa Valley
Clare Valley
Eyre Peninsula
Fleurieu Peninsula
Flinders Ranges & Outback
Kangaroo Island
Murraylands
Riverland
South East
Yorke Peninsula & Mid North
South Australia has a generally low relief with the inland area largely covered by plains, sand and gibber deserts.
The most important mountains are the Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges system (fantastic scenery and bushwalking) and the Flinders Ranges with St Mary's Peak the highest point at 1166 .The highest peak the of the Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges system is Mt Lofty at 727 m.
The River Murray is the state's only major river. . It rises in the Australian Alps of New South Wales and flows some 2,600 km west and southwest to empty into the sea below Adelaide.
Surrounding the Flinders Ranges is a series of vast lakes, which fill only after heavy rain. The largest of these, Lake Eyre, is 15 m below sea level. South Australia has an extremely low population density of 1.5 persons per square kilometre, reflecting its vast inland arid and semi-arid areas. The majority (81%) of the State's population is clustered in the better-watered south -eastern corner along the coastal plains and in the Adelaide Hills.
