Adelaide

Located in South Australia, Adelaide is the state's capital and the biggest city in the state, as well as the country's fifth-most populated metropolis. The term "Adelaide" may relate either to Greater Adelaide (that includes the Adelaide Hills) or the city centre of Adelaide. The term Adelaidean is used to refer to both the city of Adelaide and the people who live there. Adelaide's city core was initially occupied by a tribe of Kaurna people who called it Tarndanyangga ("place of the red kangaroo"), which is now known as Victoria Square in the midst of the city, or Tarndanya (meaning "place of the red kangaroo" in Gaurna).

Adelaide is located on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu Peninsula, between the Gulf of St Vincent in the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges in the east. It is the state capital of South Australia and the state capital of the Northern Territory. Its metropolitan area runs 96 kilometres (60 kilometres) from Gawler in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south, and it reaches 20 kilometres (12 kilometres) from the coast to the slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Founded in 1836 as the intended capital of the first freely-settled British province in Australia, Adelaide was named in honour of Queen Adelaide. The city received its name from her. Lieutenant Colonel William Light, one of Adelaide's founding fathers, was responsible for the design of the city centre and its location along the River Torrens. Known as "Light's Vision," Light's design laid out the city centre in a grid arrangement interspersed with broad boulevards and big public squares, and the whole area was ringed by parks. Light's design is now protected as national heritage.

When compared to other Australian towns, Adelaide's early colonial history was formed by the variety and affluence of its free immigrants, as opposed to the convict history of other places. Until the postwar period, it was the third most populous city in Australia, behind Melbourne and Sydney. It has been hailed as a model of religious freedom and progressive political change, and has earned the nickname "City of Churches" as a result of the wide range of religious beliefs represented there. Adelaide is currently recognised for its various festivals and athletic events, its cuisine and wine, its coastline and hills, and its significant defence and manufacturing industries. Adelaide is also home to the University of Adelaide. Adelaide's quality of life has continuously been rated well in numerous surveys throughout the twenty-first century, and the city was even dubbed Australia's most liveable city at one point.

Adelaide is the administrative and economic centre of South Australia, and it is home to a large number of government and financial organisations. North Terrace and King William Street, which are both cultural boulevards, are home to the majority of these businesses, which are centred in the city centre.