South Australia
Overview
South Australia is a state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

 of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of 983482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.

South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland states and the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

. It is bordered to the west by :Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, to the east by New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, to the south-east by Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.-Extent:...

 and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

.
Timeline

1836    South Australia and Adelaide are founded.

1901    The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister.

1911    Northern Territory is separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control.

1942    World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".

1953    British nuclear test ''Totem 1'' detonated at Emu Field, South Australia.

1953    British nuclear test ''Totem 2'' is carried out at Emu Field, South Australia.

1965    Premier Tom Playford of South Australia loses power after 27 years in office.

1966    The Beaumont Children go missing from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, South Australia.

1983    The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.

2006    Mike Rann secures the first Labor majority government in South Australia since 1985 by winning the state election.

 
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