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Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of
the Australian state of South Australia, and is the
fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population
of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city
situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent,
on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu
Peninsula, between the Gulf St. Vincent and the
low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges. It is roughly 20 km
(12 mi) from the coast to the foothills but sprawls
90 km (56 mi) from Gawler at its northern extent to
Sellicks Beach in the south.
Named in honour of Queen Adelaide who was born in
Germany, the consort of King William IV, the city
was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for the
only 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 Indigenous Australians of the Kaurna
tribe. Light's design set out Adelaide in a grid
layout, interspaced by wide boulevards and large
public squares, and entirely surrounded by parkland.
Early Adelaide was shaped by religious freedom and a
commitment to political progressivism and civil
liberties, which led to world-first reforms.
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, wine and culture, its
long beachfronts, and its large defence and
manufacturing sectors. It continues to rank highly
as a livable city, being in the Top 10 in The
Economist's World's Most Livable Cities index.
Adelaide is located north of the Fleurieu Peninsula,
on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent
and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges. The city
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.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,
the Adelaide Metropolitan Region has a total land
area of 870 km2 (340 sq mi), and is at an average
elevation of 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level.
Mount Lofty is located east of the Adelaide
metropolitan region in the Adelaide Hills at an
elevation of 727 metres (2,390 ft). It is the
tallest point of the city and in the state south of
Burra.
Much of Adelaide was bushland before British
settlement, with some variation - swamps and
marshlands were prevalent around the coast. However,
much of the original vegetation has been cleared
with what is left to be found in reserves such as
the Cleland Conservation Park and Belair National
Park. A number of creeks and rivers flow through the
Adelaide region. The largest are the Torrens and
Onkaparinga catchments. Adelaide relies on its many
reservoirs for water supply, with Mount Bold
Reservoir and Happy Valley Reservoir together
supplying around 50% of Adelaide's requirements.
The main sports played professionally in Adelaide
are Australian rules football, Association football
and cricket. Adelaide is the home of two Australian
Football League teams: the Adelaide Crows and Port
Adelaide Power. A local Australian rules football
league, the SANFL, is made up of nine teams from
around Adelaide.
Most large sporting events take place at either AAMI
Stadium or the historic Adelaide Oval, home of the
Southern Redbacks cricket team. Adelaide hosts an
international cricket test every summer, along with
a number of One Day International cricket matches.
Memorial Drive Park, adjacent to the Adelaide Oval,
used to host the Adelaide International, a major
men's tennis tournament in the lead-up to the
Australian Open before the tournament was moved to
Brisbane in 2009.
Adelaide's professional Association football team,
Adelaide United, play in the A-League. Founded in
2003, their home ground is Hindmarsh Stadium, which
has a capacity of 16,500 and is one of the few
purpose-built soccer stadia in Australia. In 2008
the Cronulla Sharks, an Australian NRL franchise,
and the South Australian Government announced a 3
year contract in which the Sharks will play a single
home game each season at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The Adelaide 36ers and the Adelaide Lightning play
in national basketball competitions, with home games
at the Distinctive Homes Dome. The Adelaide
Thunderbirds play in the trans-Tasman netball
competition, with home games at ETSA Park.
Adelaide hosts the Tour Down Under bicycle race, the
largest cycling event outside Europe and the only
event with UCI ProTour status.
The Australian Grand Prix for Formula One racing was
hosted by Adelaide from 1985 to 1995 on a street
circuit in the city's eastern parklands. The Grand
Prix became a source of pride and losing the event
to Melbourne in a surprise announcement left a void
that has since been filled with the highly
successful Clipsal 500 for V8 Supercar racing, held
on a modified version of the same street circuit.
The Classic Adelaide, a rally of classic sporting
vehicles, is also held in the city and its
surrounds.
The World Solar Challenge race attracts teams from
around the world, most of which are fielded by
universities or corporations although some are
fielded by high schools. The race has a 20-year
history spanning nine races, with the inaugural
event taking place in 1987.
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