SOUTH AUSTRALIA, a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, situated be tween 26° and S. lat., and 129° and 141° E. long. Area, 380,070 square miles. Population (1920) 472,432. The eastern portion of the state is divided longitudinally by the Flinders Range, which extends from the eastern side of the Gulf of St. Vincent to the Lakes Torrens and Eyre. The western portion is partly desert which can never be brought into cultivation. The northern portion of the state, between Lake Eyre and 26° S. lat., is also unpromising in comparison with the fertile land that surrounds the hill country of the E. Except for the Murray, which flows for some 250 miles through the south eastern corner into the Southern Ocean, there are no rivers of importance in South Australia. The mean annual tem perature at Adelaide is 63°, the winter temperature (July-August) averaging and the summer (November-March) During the summer months the maximum temperature at times exceeds but owing to the purity and dry ness of the atmosphere the inconvenience is comparatively slight. The average annual rainfall at Adelaide is 21.01 inches.
South Australia became a British province in 1836, and in 1851 a par tially elected Legislative Council was Istablished. The present constitution originated in 1856, and vests the exec utive authority in a Governor appointed by the Crown, and in a Council of six ministers, and a Lieutenant-Governor. The state is represented in London by an Agent-General. Parliament consists of a Legislative Council of 20 members, elected for six years, and a House of Assembly of 46 members, elected for three years. Election to the House is by ballot with universal adult suffrage for all British subjects, male and (since 1899) female. Electors to the Legis lative Council must meet a small prop erty qualification.
The administration of law and justice is in the hands of a Supreme Court, courts of vice-admiralty and insolvency, local civil courts, and police courts.
Public education is compulsory, secu lar, and free, and is provided by the state under the direction of a responsible minister. In 1918 there were 913 schools, of which 43 were high schools, with 73,502 pupils, and about 170 pri vate schools with about 14,000 pupils.
There is also a training college for teachers, a state school of mines and industries, and an endowed university at Adelaide, founded in 1874, with about 400 undergraduates and about 650 other students. The state also supports or assists the public library, museum, art gallery, and local institutions. The ap proximate number of churrhPs and chap els of the state in 1920 was 1,750. The state does not give any financial aid for religious purposes. The Church of Eng land and the Methodists have the largest membership, followed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutherans, Presby terians, Baptists, and Congregationalists.
The revenue for the year ending June 30, 1919, was £5,798,314, the expenditure £5,876,807, and the public debt £42,650, 206.
About 5,000,000 acres are under culti vation, the chief crops being wheat, hay, oats, and barley. Fruits, including or anges, lemons, almonds and olives, are grown extensively. About 30,000 acres are in the form of vineyards, and the production of currants and raisins is of considerable importance. In 1918 there were over 6,000,000 sheep, about 315,000 cattle, about 265,000 horses, and about 110,000 pigs.
The most important mineral is cop per, the production of which since the foundation of the state, is estimated at nearly £32,000,000. There are also gold, silver, lead, manganese, iron, coal, etc., and the total mineral production in 1918 was valued at £1,500,000.
In 1918 there were 1,285 factories, with 26,634 employees, and a production of almost £20,000,000. The export of the state is important, averaging about £10, 000,000 annually, and consisting chiefly of wheat, flour, wool, meats, skins and hides, butter, tallow, leather, etc. The imports in 1918-1919 were valued at al most £6,500,000. In 1919 there were 3,400 miles of railway, 114 miles of elec tric tramways, and 44,000 miles of roads. There were also 813 post-offices.
Besides the capital, ADELAIDE (q. v.), with a population of (1918) 235,751, there is only one other town of over 10,000 inhabitants, Port Pirie (13,000). Other towns are Moonta, Kadina, Wal laroo, Port Augusta, Gawler, and Mt. Gambier. See AUSTRALIA : AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH.