South Australia is bounded by other states on the west, east and
north, and flanked in the south by the Southern Ocean. Most of its
population of 1.5 million live in the fertile coastal area and the
valley of the Murray River, which is the state's only navigable
river and drains about one-seventh of Australia. The northern
landscape consists largely of dry wasteland, with several low
mountain ranges. The most impressive mountains are the Mt
Lofty-Flinders ranges, extending about 500 miles (800km) from Cape
Jervis to the northern end of Lake Torrens. The capital of South
Australia is Adelaide, known as the City of Churches.
South Australia is famous mainly for its wine and opals. More
than half of Australia's wine is produced here, the vineyards
flourishing in its Mediterranean climate, and the State's three
major opal fields, Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka, supply
around 80 percent of the total world production of these
sought-after gemstones.
