Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is also its most populous city. Adelaide is regarded to be among the five largest cities in Australia, with an estimated population of more than 1.28 million people. Adelaide is a coastal city, which lies on the East coast of Gulf St. Vincent, with the Fleurieu Peninsula situated to the South. Adelaide acts as the seat of governance for South Australia, apart from being a commercial hub.

Adelaide was founded in 1836, as the capital for a freely settled British province in Australia. The city derives its name from Queen Adelaide, German-born companion of King William IV. The city was designed by Colonel William Light, also regarded as one of Adelaide’s founding fathers.
Adelaide is located in between Gulf St Vincent and the low – lying Mount Lofty Ranges, on the Adelaide Plains.  The Adelaide Metropolitan Region has a total land area of 870 km2 (340 sq mi), according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Many creeks and rivers form part of the Adelaide landscape. The largest among these are the Torrens and Onkaparinga catchments. The land was primarily bushland, prior to British settlement, however the original vegetation has been preserved in some parts, in reserves like Cleland Conservation Park and Belair National Park.

Adelaide has a Mediterranean type of climate, characterised by hot summers and heavy rainfall during winter. Adelaide has a relatively dry climate, compared to the other Australian capital cities and a semi-arid climate influence as a result of its dryness. The city receives the maximum amount of rainfall in June and it snows occasionally in some parts of Adelaide.

Adelaide’s economy is centred on defence industry, technology and research, export of commodities & manufacturing industries. There are sizable zones dedicated to manufacturing, defence and research. These include car manufacturing plants for General Motors Holden and plants which produce electronic systems. These electronic systems have applications in medical, communications, defence, automotive, food and wine processing and industrial sectors and are sold worldwide. The electronics industry in Adelaide has seen rapid growth and employs more number of people than the automotive industry with over 13,000 people. Since 1990, the revenue of Adelaide’s electronics industry has grown at over 15% per year. Adelaide produces almost half of all cars produced in Australia.

Many companies have their foundations in Adelaide, including News Corporation, the global media conglomerate, founded in and until 2004 incorporated in Adelaide, Santos, Australia’s largest oil company, Coopers, well-known South Australian brewery, Harris Scarfe, major national retailer and Argo Investments Limited, second largest listed investment company.
In 1992, the State Bank had collapsed, resulting in large levels of state debt (as much as A$4 billion). The collapse led to lean budgets and cut in spending by successive governments, which hindered development of the city and state. The State Government received a AAA+ Credit Rating, and as a result, the debt has been reduced recently. Seventy-two percent of Australian defence companies are located in Adelaide, which contribute over AU$1 billion to South Australia’s Gross State Product.