Adelaide, Australia - FAST HD TOUR 2018
Adelaide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the greater metropolitan area known as Adelaide. For the city centre, see Adelaide city centre. For the local government area, see City of Adelaide. For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation).
Adelaide
South Australia
Adelaide's updated montage.jpg
From top to bottom, left to right: Central Adelaide from Mount Lofty, the UniSA Building on North Terrace, St Peter's Cathedral, the beachside suburb of Glenelg, a rotunda in Elder Park, and Victoria Square illuminated in the evening
Adelaide is located in Australia AdelaideAdelaide
Coordinates 34°55′44.4″S 138°36′3.6″ECoordinates: 34°55′44.4″S 138°36′3.6″E
Population 1,304,631 (2014)[1] (5th)
• Density 396.4/km2 (1,027/sq mi) (2011)
Established 28 December 1836
Area 3,257.7 km2 (1,257.8 sq mi)[2]
Time zone ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST) ACDT (UTC+10:30)
Location
654 km (406 mi) NW of Melbourne[3]
958 km (595 mi) West of Canberra[4]
1,161 km (721 mi) West of Sydney[5]
1,600 km (994 mi) SW of Brisbane[6]
2,130 km (1,324 mi) East of Perth[7]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
22.1 °C
72 °F 12.1 °C
54 °F 545.4 mm
21.5 in
Adelaide (Listeni/ˈædəleɪd/ ad-ə-layd)[8] is the capital city of the state of South Australia, and the fifth-most populous city of Australia. In June 2014, Adelaide had an estimated resident population of 1.3 million.[1] South Australia, with a total of 1.7 million inhabitants, has the most centralised population of any state in Australia, with more than 75 percent of its people living in greater Adelaide, while the other population centres in the state are relatively small.
The demonym Adelaidean is used in reference to the city and its residents.[9][10] Adelaide is north of the Fleurieu Peninsula, on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges which surround the city. Adelaide stretches 20 km (12 mi) from the coast to the foothills, and 90 km (56 mi) from Gawler at its northern extent to Sellicks Beach in the south.
Named in honour of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, queen consort to King William IV, the city was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for a freely-settled British province in Australia. Colonel William Light, one of Adelaide's founding fathers, designed the city and chose its location close to the River Torrens, in the area originally inhabited by the Kaurna people. Light's design set out Adelaide in a grid layout, interspaced by wide boulevards and large public squares, and entirely surrounded by parklands. Early Adelaide was shaped by prosperity and wealth — up until the Second World War, it was Australia's third largest city.[11] It has been noted for early examples of religious freedom, a commitment to political progressivism and civil liberties. It has been known as the City of Churches since the mid-19th century.[12]
As South Australia's seat of government and commercial centre, Adelaide is the site of many governmental and financial institutions. Most of these are concentrated in the city centre along the cultural boulevard of North Terrace, King William Street and in various districts of the metropolitan area. Today, Adelaide is noted for its many festivals and sporting events, its food and wine, its long beachfronts, and its large defence and manufacturing sectors. It ranks highly in terms of liveability, being listed in the Top 10 of The Economist Intelligence Unit's World's Most Liveable Cities index in 2010,[13] 2011,[14] 2012[15] and 2015.[16] It was also ranked the most liveable city in Australia by the Property Council of Australia in 2011,[17] 2012[18] and 2013
Before European settlement[edit]
Prior to its proclamation as a British settlement in 1836, the area around Adelaide was inhabited by the indigenous Kaurna Aboriginal nation (pronounced Garner or Gowna).
Kaurna culture and language was almost completely destroyed within a few decades of the European settlement of South Australia in 1836.[20] However, extensive documentation by early missionaries and other researchers has enabled a modern revival of both language and culture